LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Staff

Harry Cohen: To ask the Leader of the House if his Office will  (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its workforce,  (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers,  (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and  (d) extend to over-fifties the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has 15 staff and the age profile is readily available. An audit is not therefore necessary.
	My staff are members of the Privy Council Office (PCO), which provides administrative support. The Privy Council Office recruitment process complies fully with current legislation. There is a compulsory retirement age of 65, but staff who wish to work beyond that age may do so if there is a clear business need for retention of individual skills and experience.
	The PCO identifies and supports the training needs of all staff, regardless of age. This extends to paid time off when the training has a clear business need. The PCO also has a number of flexible working practices, including part-time working and flexible working hours, which are open to all staff, regardless of age.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  whether his Office recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment;
	(2)  what proportion of vacancies in his Office in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics GCSE.

Jack Straw: Staff in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons are part of the Privy Council Office (PCO). External recruitment in the PCO is only undertaken for the administrative grade and is based on a standard competence framework. This includes qualifications, where they are relevant to the post being advertised. No advertised vacancies in my Office in the last 12 months have required candidates to have at least a grade C in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics GCSE.

Light Bulbs

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Leader of the House what proportion of light bulbs purchased by the Privy Council Office in 2005 were of the compact fluorescent type.

Jack Straw: 90 per cent. of all light bulbs purchased for use by the Leader of the House of Commons Office are of the compact fluorescent type.

NHS Spending

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Leader of the House what the basis was for his statement on the Business of the House, 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 450, that spending on the NHS has more than trebled since 1997.

Jack Straw: Table 1 shows the NHS Expenditure in years 1996-97 to 2007-08.(1)
	The growth from 1996-97 to 2007-08 is £32.997 billion to £92.173 billion, a 2.8 fold increase.
	(1 )Information supplied by the Department of Health
	
		
			  Table 1: NHS total expenditure: England—1996-97 to 2007-08 
			Net NHS Expenditure( 5)  (£ billion)  Percentage increase  Percentage real terms increase( 6) 
			 Cash(1) 
			 1996-97 Outturn 32.997 3.2 -0.2 
			 1997-98 Outturn 34.664 5.1 2.1 
			 1998-99 Outturn 36.608 5.6 3.0 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 39.881 8.9 6.8 
			  
			 RB Stage1(2) 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 40.201  —  — 
			 2000-01 Outturn 43.932 9.3 7.8 
			 2001-02 Outturn 49.021 11.6 9.0 
			 2002-03 Outturn 54.042 10.2 6.9 
			  
			 RB Stage 2(3,4,6) 
			 2003-04 Outturn 64.183  —  — 
			 2004-05(7) Outturn 69.306 8.0 5.1 
			 2005-06 Estimated Outturn 77.847 12.3 10.2 
			 2006-07 Plan 84.387 8.4 5.8 
			 2007-08 Plan 92.173 9.2 6.4 
			 (1) Expenditure pre 1999-00 is on a cash basis.  (2) Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a Stage 1 Resource Budgeting basis.  (3) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2007-08 are on a Stage 2 Resource Budgeting basis.  (4) The Resource Budgeting Stage 2 expenditure figures shown for 2004-05 to 2007-08 are consistent with table 3.4 of the 2006 Departmental Report.  (5) Figures are not consistent over the period (1996-97 to 2007-08), therefore it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods.  (6) Figures from 2003-04 include a technical adjustment for trust depreciation.  (7) Includes a technical adjustment in 2004-05 for provisions of £1,497 million.   Note:  GDP deflator as at 27 September 2006. 
		
	
	However, as noted in superscript 5 to the table, it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods due to:
	Changes to accounting practice;
	Changes in functional responsibility leading to transfers of money between the NHS and other Government Departments
	Such changes occur on a regular basis so calculations based on absolutes can quickly become out of date. Also, comparison based on absolutes does not take into account inflation.
	Therefore, generally, in NHS publications, real growth in expenditure is quoted rather than changes to absolute expenditure. This is calculated by comparing consecutive year expenditure adjusted into the same currency (to adjust for accounting changes and transfers of function) and deflated by GDP.
	Across the whole Labour administration, from 1997-98 to 2007-08, the cumulative real terms increase in expenditure will be 95.7 per cent.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment was made of the methods used to reduce illicit opium poppy cultivation in other countries during the formulation of counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan.

Margaret Beckett: I have been asked to reply.
	As partner nation for counter-narcotics, the UK has supported the Afghan Government in developing and updating their National Drug Control strategy, launched at the London Conference on Afghanistan in January 2006. In developing their strategy, the Afghan Government considered the counter-narcotics efforts of regional partners, including Pakistan, as well as countries in the Golden Triangle. With respect to the Golden Triangle, I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him today (UIN 96353). The Afghan Government have also drawn from the experience of Pakistan which achieved drug free status through a balanced strategy focused on development and law enforcement, including eradication where legal livelihoods exist.
	There have also been exchanges between the Governments of Afghanistan and Colombia in relation to Colombia's counter-narcotics experience, particularly in relation to coca production. This includes a recent visit from Colombian law enforcement officers to assist the Afghan Government develop their counter-narcotics law enforcement capacity.
	The Afghan Government have also considered experiences of licit opium cultivation in India and Turkey. In doing so they have concluded that Afghanistan does not currently possess the necessary central government and law enforcement mechanisms to guard against the diversion of opium into illicit channels. They have therefore ruled out licit cultivation as a means of tackling the illicit trade.

African Union

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department will offer to the African Union for capacity building in Africa in the next 12 months.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development envisages capacity building support to the African Union (AU) in two main areas over the next 12 months: assistance to the African Union Commission (AUC) to build its own institutional capacity; and support for specific programmes with which the African Union is involved.
	On the former, we are working closely with other donors and our support is likely to focus on helping to build the AUC's capacity for effective financial management, procurement and management of human resources. DFID is already providing support on procurement, which has been recognised by the AUC and the European Commission (EC) as a pre-requisite for the disbursal of funds from the EC's own Support Programme to the AUC. DFID is also considering support to help build the capacity of other African Union institutions, including the Pan-African Parliament.
	On the latter, we are considering contributing to two major AU programmes to build African capacity in land policy, and in climate change adaptation. The Land Policy Initiative will be jointly managed by the AU, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA). This initiative aims to build consensus for land reform among AU member states and Regional Economic Communities and to establish a framework for common actions, partnerships and peer learning. The Climate Information for Development Needs in Africa programme (ClimDev Africa) will be led by the AU and jointly implemented by AfDB and ECA. It aims to strengthen the capacity of AU member states to obtain and use information on climate variability and change for development, eg by identifying services to help reduce rural poverty in semi-arid zones.
	DFID continues to provide support to the African Union on peace and security issues, working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence through the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool. As part of this, the UK Government have just signed an agreement with the AU to provide £300,000 to support the development of the Continental Early Warning System and the Panel of the Wise, to help prevent and mediate conflicts in Africa.

Hippopotami (Virunga National Park)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with  (a) the African Union and  (b) the Congolese Government to secure the protection of hippopotami in the Virunga National Park; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	We have regular discussions with the African Union (AU) Commission on a range of environmental issues. Like many AU member states, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a signatory to international agreements on the protection of wildlife, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which lists the hippopotamus as a species requiring protection under Appendix II.
	We have urged the DRC Government to do more to control the activities of militia groups who are reportedly killing these hippopotami. My hon. Friend the Minister for Schools, then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, lobbied the Congolese Minister of the Environment on the need to protect vulnerable species when he visited Virunga National Park in September 2005. We will continue to raise with the DRC Government their duty to protect their wildlife.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what his estimate is of the total number of internal refugees in Iraq who are homeless, in temporary accommodation or in shelter significantly unsuitable to their needs; what steps his Department is taking to help these people in need; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of the total number of internal refugees in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: The Government of Iraq, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners estimate there are now more than 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Iraq. Many of these people (between 700,000 and 1.1 million) left their homes under the previous regime. The UNHCR report that there are 424,000 newly displaced who have left their homes and communities since the bombing of the Samarra shrine in February 2006.
	The majority of internally displaced persons in Iraq are either living with relatives, friends or extended family, or renting accommodation in other neighbourhoods. However, thousands of displaced without family links or money, are living in public buildings and schools, improvised shelters and Government camps run by the International Federation of the Red Crescent.
	UN agencies are delivering food and emergency assistance in central and southern Iraq together with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM). Since February, the ICRC has distributed food and emergency relief to 150,000 people. EC member states have recently agreed to give 10 million euros to the UN for the provision of additional shelter and other basic needs for IDPs.
	The UNHCR also estimate that there are up to 1.6 million Iraqis living outside their country, most of them in Jordan (500,000) and Syria (450,000). Some have been outside for a decade or more, but many have moved since 2003. The UN Assistance Mission Iraq is currently conducting an assessment of these people's needs.
	Since 2003, DFID has contributed over £100 million to humanitarian agencies working in Iraq, including £85 million for the UN Humanitarian Appeal and £32 million to the ICRC for emergency humanitarian assistance. This includes £4 million for their 2006 Appeal. In 2004, DFID also provided £70 million to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI). IRFFI has already spent over $18 million on supporting the return and reintegration of IDPs in Iraq. We are in close touch with UN humanitarian agencies so that we are able to respond quickly where unmet needs are identified.

Sudan

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which relief projects in Darfur his Department is involved.

Hilary Benn: DFID is funding a range of humanitarian projects in Darfur, totalling £34 million in 2006. Our programme has three elements:
	1. A £10 million humanitarian operation supporting twelve non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Medecins Sans Frontieres, Oxfam, International Rescue Committee and Action Contre La Faim. These projects address a variety of humanitarian needs with a focus on water and sanitation, health and nutrition.
	2. £5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross' national appeal, the majority of which is being spent in Darfur. This funding goes to support programmes on nutrition, health and protection.
	3. £49 million to the Common Humanitarian Fund, a pioneering multi-donor mechanism giving the UN Humanitarian Coordinator the ability to allocate funding to the top humanitarian priorities across the country and respond to unforeseen needs. Of the DFID funding, at least £19 million has been allocated to Darfur to fund UN agencies and NGOs.

Sudan

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much humanitarian aid was allocated to Darfur in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: In 2006-07, DFID Sudan plans to spend £34 million on humanitarian assistance in Darfur. A further £4 million will be spent in support of refugees and internally displaced people in neighbouring Chad.
	The majority of our humanitarian funding for Darfur, £49 million, goes through the Common Humanitarian Fund, a pioneering multi-donor mechanism giving the UN Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) the ability to allocate funding to the top humanitarian priorities across the country and respond speedily and effectively to unforeseen needs. The rest goes to support the work of international non-governmental organisations including the International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam, Goal, International Rescue Committee and Action Centre La Faim.
	The humanitarian situation in Darfur is of grave concern. As I saw during my recent visit to Sudan, the UN and non-governmental organisations are doing an excellent job, but they are severely stretched by the sheer scale of needs. Many tens of thousands cannot be reached because of banditry and insecurity. That is why in my meeting with President Bashir I urged him to do all he could to stop the fighting, implement fully the terms of the Darfur peace agreement, and accept the deployment of a multinational UN peacekeeping force.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the review of his Department's child poverty strategy will conclude; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 24 October 2006
	The Government's strategy for tackling child poverty is set out in 'Opportunity for all' and the Child Poverty Review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review White Paper. We plan to complete and publish our review of this strategy later this year.
	In 1997 there were 4.2 million children living in poverty and almost 5.5 million people on benefits,3 million more than in 1979. Compared with 1979, the number of people claiming unemployment benefits had risen by 50 per cent., while the number claiming incapacity benefits had more than tripled.
	Today we are achieving growth with fairness. Since 1997 incomes have grown strongly for all groups but the poorer two-fifths have seen greater proportional increases in incomes than the better off. As a result of this progress there were 800,000 fewer children living in low income households in 2004-05, after housing costs, than in 1997 and we have lifted 2 million children out of absolute poverty.

Child Support Agency

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the timetable is for the transfer of payments through the Child Support Agency to the new rules for the calculation of payments.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 16 October 2006
	The hon. Member for Gosport is referred to paragraph 57 of the Government's response to Sir David Henshaw: 'A fresh start: child support redesign'. This can be found on the internet at www.dwp.gov.uk.

Health and Safety Executive

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive plans to make its guidance books available in electronic format.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 11 September 2006
	Over the past 18 months, HSE has made more than 1,000 previously priced publications, mainly reports, freely available in electronic format, available through the HSE website.

Housing Benefit

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the recent decision by the Social Security Commissioner to reduce the level of housing benefit available to tenants of homes where care and support is provided to people with learning and physical disabilities;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities following the recent decision by the Social Security Commissioner to reduce the level of housing benefit available to tenants of homes where care and support is provided to people with learning and physical disabilities; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that tenants in homes where care and support is provided to people with learning and physical disabilities do not lose their placements following the recent decision by the Social Security Commissioner to reduce the level of housing benefit available to tenants; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Social Security Commissioner decided that the rent restriction scheme introduced in 1996 should be used in certain cases as the accommodation did not fall into the type of specialist supported accommodation prescribed in legislation for which the pre-1996 rent restriction scheme has been preserved. This decision has led to some authorities reviewing their decisions on similar awards resulting in a reduction in benefit in some cases.
	The Commissioner also confirmed the interpretation of the appropriate legislation was accurately reflected in current DWP guidance.
	The Commissioner's decision has not affected the responsibilities of social services, where they have them, to provide care and support for certain individuals. Where this duty existed previously, it will continue to exist, and social services will have to ensure that the care and support is provided. The only cases that the Commissioner's decision will affect are those where the old scheme housing benefit rules are currently being incorrectly used.

Jobcentre Plus

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what advice and training on dealing with customers with autistic spectrum disorders is available for employees of Jobcentre Plus;
	(2)  what provision has been made to assist people with autistic spectrum disorder under the Jobcentre Plus Customer Management System.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 31 October 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what advice and training on dealing with customers with autistic spectrum disorders is available for employees of Jobcentre Plus and what provision has been made to assist people with autistic spectrum disorder under the Jobcentre Plus Customer Management System. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has two training products for equipping its staff with the skills and knowledge to deal effectively with disabled customers, including autistic spectrum disorders. These are:
	Working with Customers with a Health Condition and Disability [developed in consultation with external partners, including Mencap and Mind]; and
	Skills to Help Customers with a Health Condition and/or Disability.
	To support their training, advisers have a number of templates they can refer to when dealing with customers, the Autistic Spectrum Disorders template provides details about autistic spectrum disorders; the effects they have on individuals, the implications for work and the possible types of support an individual might need in employment. This information was approved by the National Autistic Society.
	In addition, all Jobcentre Plus staff have access to information about autistic spectrum disorders through guidance on our Intranet.
	The Customer Management System (CMS) is part of the Jobcentre Plus modernisation programme. Jobcentre Plus prefers customers to claim benefits by telephone but CMS also supports face-to-face and postal contact.
	First Contact Officers work in our contact centres, they receive training to help them identify customers who are unable to use the phone and offer them alternative methods of contact. Customers can be represented by a third party (including an appointee) who would provide information on the customer's behalf either by phone, or whilst accompanying the customer to the office for a face-to-face meeting.
	Alternatively, a claim form can be issued. Our Standard Operating Model, including the facility to use clerical claim forms, should be used by all staff.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobcentre Plus

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what training Jobcentre Plus visiting officers have received for advising claimants of the appropriate benefits for their circumstances; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what training Contact Centre and Jobcentre Plus staff have received for dealing with benefit claimants with mental health problems; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 31 October 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions asking what training Jobcentre Plus visiting officers have received for advising claimants of the appropriate benefits for their circumstances and what training Contact Centre and Jobcentre Plus staff have received for dealing with benefit claimants with mental health problems. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus has an extensive range of training products designed to equip Nominated Officers [previously known as Visiting Officers] with the required level of benefit knowledge needed to provide all customers with accurate and reliable advice. These materials provide staff with general information about the benefits available, including the conditions of entitlement, how to deal with changes in circumstances and where they can get further help and guidance in order to support the customer's needs. They also receive training on other allowances and credits that may impact on the benefits that the customer is in receipt of, for example, Tax Credits, Child Support and Pension Credit.
	All staff who work directly with customers are provided with training and development to ensure they deal professionally with all customers including those with a mental illness. For example we have developed a two-day learning event, with the co-operation of specialist organisations such as MIND, for all Advisers to equip them with the specialist skills they need to work with customers with a mental illness.
	I hope that this is helpful.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Office Equipment (Energy Consumption)

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the hourly energy consumption of an  (a) (i) desktop and (ii) laptop computer and  (b) printer/fax machine of the types issued to hon. Members by Parliamentary Information Communication and Technology (A) when on standby mode and (B) when in full use.

Nick Harvey: The hourly energy consumption of desktop and laptop computers and printer/fax machines on standby mode and in full use are as follows:
	
		
			  kWh 
			   (A) Standby mode  (B) In full use 
			  (a)(i) Desktop computer 0.003 0.156 
			 (ii) Laptop computer 0.001 0.030 
			  (b) Printer/fax machine 0.030 0.400 
		
	
	The in full use consumption figures (B) given above are the maximum figures and typical figures will normally be significantly less than these.

Visitors

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many people visited the Palace of Westminster in each week during the Summer Opening 2006; how many tickets were sold during this period; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The number of visitors paying to visit the Palace of Westminster during the Summer Opening 2006 was as follows:
	
		
			  Week commencing  Visitor figures 
			  August  
			 1 (Tuesday) 9,874 
			 7 (Monday) 12,129 
			 14 11,821 
			 21 11,724 
			 28 7,874 
			  September  
			 4 8,209 
			 11 7,796 
			 18 8,625 
			 25 9,242 
			 Total 87,294 
		
	
	In addition, a further 4,505 visited the Palace in August as guests of Members; the equivalent figure for September was 4,947.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Companies Bill

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations he undertook on the Report stage amendment 822 to the Companies Bill.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 30 October 2006
	Ministers have continued to listen carefully to representations from all parties throughout each stage of the Companies Bill's passage through Parliament. In deciding to bring forward amendments 821 and 822 at Report, Ministers took account of all views received both in response to the Government's consultation on the Business Review at the beginning of this year and subsequently.

Companies Bill

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he received from the  (a) Confederation of British Industry,  (b) Association of British Insurers,  (c) Federation of Small Business and  (d) Institute of Directors on the Report stage amendment 822 to the Companies Bill.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Department received representations from the Confederation of British Industry, Association of British Insurers and Institute of Directors in response to the Government's consultation on the directors' annual Business Review at the beginning of this year. The CBI and IOD did not support the introduction into the review of any additional reporting requirements from the former statutory Operating and Financial Review (schedule 7ZA of the Companies Act 1985), but made no particular comments about contractual and other relationships. The ABI thought that companies should in any case be reporting the matters included in the previous legislation to the extent relevant for an understanding of the company and its capacity to succeed in the creation of shareholder value. The more pressing concern that these organisations raised was in relation to liability in respect of reporting and I subsequently introduced amendments to the Companies Bill to clarify the liability regime. We also received a recent representation from the IOD expressing concern about the timing, intent and effect of the Government's amendment to the Business Review. As I made clear at Report, it remains for the directors' judgment to decide what is material to report. Furthermore, the Bill includes a confidentiality exception in relation to information about impending developments or matters in the course of negotiation. I am meeting representatives from the IOD, CBI and other industry organisations this week to discuss their concerns about amendments 821 and 822.

Corus

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with (i) Corus and (ii) prospective buyers of Corus in respect of protection of the existing British Steel pension scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: No such meetings have taken place or are planned as this is currently a matter for the pension scheme Trustees concerned. Tata Steel has tabled proposals in order to ensure certainty on the long-term security of the Corus pension schemes. We understand that constructive discussions on this offer have taken place between Tata and the Trustees, and as a result a memorandum of understanding was signed on 25 October subject to the detail of further due diligence.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI recruitment is competence-based, focusing on skills and experience rather than formal qualifications. Applicants are requested to provide details of their formal qualifications when they apply for a vacancy. This is to provide background information on their educational attainment and does not form part of the selection criteria. An International GCSE is considered an acceptable substitute for a GCSE.

EU Convergence Funding

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to conclude negotiations with the EU Commission on European Union convergence funding for West Wales and the Valleys.

Margaret Hodge: As a result of the agreement reached on the next EC budget at the European Council of December 2005, West Wales and the Valleys will receive full convergence funding of €1,850 million in structural funds receipts from 2007 to 2013 (at 2004 prices). Further details are available in my written statement to Parliament on the structural funds of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 72-74WS.

Post Office

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he expects to make an announcement on the future of the post office network before the end of December 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are working with the Post Office on a forward strategy for the network as a matter of priority. The aim is to finalise a forward strategy for the network before Christmas.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Experiments

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what position the Government took on the decision to impose new EU rules requiring new laboratory tests on animals for chemicals that have been on the market since before 1998; how many additional animals he estimates will be subject to experiment annually as a result of these rules; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Government fully support the overall objectives of Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) as well as the specific provisions contained in the Common Position which was adopted by the Council of Ministers in June 2006.
	REACH will identify hazards and enable any risks to human health and the environment to be more effectively controlled. This is necessary as there are around 30,000 substances manufactured or imported in quantities above one tonne in the European Union, but we have adequate data on the environmental and health effects of only a small proportion of them.
	However, within this context, one of the key objectives of REACH is a minimisation of animal testing. Where there is no suitable, validated alternative to animal tests, they will be kept to the minimum necessary to provide the information needed for the protection of human health and the environment. Several provisions are included in the Council Common Position to ensure that this is the case. For example:
	(i) there is an obligation for companies to work together through a system of "one substance, one registration";
	(ii) all available animal test data must be shared with other companies and tests must not be repeated;
	(iii) there is a requirement to use wherever possible alternative sources of information (for example, computer modelling tools or in vitro tests);
	(iv) any proposals for testing using animals will be subject to regulatory review by the European Chemicals Agency.
	Against this background of measures, it is not possible to estimate the number of animal tests that might be necessary as a result of REACH.

Cheesemaking

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of EU regulations on traditional cheesemaking in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The new European Union food hygiene legislation, which came into force on 1 January 2006, is structured so that it can be applied flexibly and proportionately according to the size and nature of the food business. Traditional cheesemakers are benefiting from that. The Food Standards Agency ran a food safety management initiative for specialist cheesemakers between 2002 and 2004. The initiative, which was designed to help cheesemakers to comply with the hygiene legislation, has been evaluated and is widely regarded as a success.

Chemical Weapons

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there have been reported cases of UK fishing vessels having caught  (a) chemical weapons and  (b) their component parts in either their nets or trawlers in the last 20 years.

Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	Reports of encounters with munitions in the marine environment are generally made to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which is part of the Department for Transport. MCA staff have advised that they are not aware of any reports of UK fishing vessels having caught chemical weapons or their component parts in either their nets or trawlers in the last 20 years.
	The Ministry of Defence has no record of any reported cases of UK fishing vessels having caught chemical weapons or their component parts in either their nets or trawlers in the last 20 years.

Dairy Products

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment of the level of antibiotics in milk and dairy products his Department has made in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Council Directive 96/23/EC requires member states to monitor for the presence of certain substances and residues in food-producing animals and animal products. This included antibiotics in milk with effect from January 1998. Commission Decision 97/747/EC stipulated that raw bovine milk should be tested, and sets out other criteria, such as:
	the number of milk samples to be collected, based on forecast production;
	the proportion of those samples that must be tested for authorised antimicrobial substances, such as antibiotics; and
	the proportion tested for substances, including antibiotics that, because of safety concerns, are not allowed to be used in the EU in food-producing animals.
	The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is the competent authority for the surveillance programme in the UK. Member states are required to send their annual plans for surveillance, containing the above information, to the Commission. Details of the validated analytical methods used in the UK, which in the case of milk screens for a wide range of antibiotics, are also included. The results are also sent to the Commission.
	The results of the testing of UK cows' milk are given in table 1. This shows since 1997, in a total of some 18,000 analyses for antibiotics, that only 5 samples were found to contain residues of antibiotics above the relevant statutory limit. All of these were of authorised veterinary medicines.
	The VMD carries out additional testing of dairy products, such as cheese and cream, under its non-statutory surveillance scheme. The results are given in table 2. From a total of some 700 analyses since 1997, only one sample of imported cheese contained a detectable residue.
	The results of this surveillance have been published on the VMD's Annual Reports on Surveillance from 1998-2000, which can be found at http://www.vmd.gov.uk/publications/annreps/annreps.htm and from 2001 onwards in the annual reports of the independent Veterinary Residues Committee which can be found at http:/www.vet-residues-committee.gov.uk/.
	
		
			  Table 1: Results of surveillance for antibiotic residues in UK cows' milk 
			  Year  Analyses for antibiotic residues  Samples with detectable residues  Samples at or above the reference point( 1) 
			 1998 1,824 2 2 
			 1999 2,015 0 0 
			 2000 2,013 2 2 
			 2001 2,107 0 0 
			 2002 2,008 0 0 
			 2003 2,076 0 0 
			 2004 2,069 0 0 
			 2005 2,072 0 0 
			 2006(2) 1,819 1 1 
			 Total 18,003 5 5 
			 (1) For authorised substances, the reference point is the 'maximum residue limit'. The EU set this limit, which is the maximum concentration of a residue of a particular veterinary medicine that is legally allowed to be present in or on a food. For unauthorised or banned substances, any residue detected by the UK authorities is reported as 'positive'. (2) To date 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Results of surveillance for antibiotic residues in other dairy products (UK unless specified) 
			  Product(s)  Analyses for antibiotic residues  Samples with detectable residues  Samples at or above the reference point( 1) 
			  1998
			 Cheddar Cheese 51 0 0 
			 Cream 51 0 0 
			 Goat Cheese 40 0 0 
			 Sheep Cheese 40 0 0 
			 
			  1999
			 None 0 0 0 
			 
			  2000
			 Goats' Milk 92 0 0 
			 Organic Cheese(imported) 20 0 0 
			 Organic Cheese 20 0 0 
			 Organic Cream 24 0 0 
			 
			  2001
			 Goats' Milk 100 0 0 
			  2002
			 None 0 0 0 
			 
			  2003
			 Dried Milk Powder 103 0 0 
			 
			  2004
			 None 0 0 0 
			 
			  2005
			 Imported Cheese 100 1 1 
			 
			  2006
			 Imported Cheese 66 0 0 
			 
			 Total 707 1 1 
			 (1) For authorised substances, the reference point is the 'maximum residue limit'. The EU set this limit, which is the maximum concentration of a residue of a particular veterinary medicine that is legally allowed to be present in or on a food. For unauthorised or banned substances, any residue detected by the UK authorities is reported as 'positive'.

Energy Efficiency

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated level of energy efficiency achieved by each local authority in buildings and services within its own area was in the last period for which figures are available; and what the comparable figures were for each local authority  (a) five and  (b) 10 years ago.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 26 October 2006
	The Department does not carry out central monitoring of either the energy consumed or the savings achieved in individual local authorities buildings or in the provision of their services. Local authorities are responsible for their own energy consumption and achieving efficiency savings will be a matter for local authority energy managers. Therefore the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The 1995 Home Energy Conservation Act requires local authorities with housing responsibility to prepare a strategy for improving energy efficiency within residential accommodation in their areas and report annually on progress. Since 1996 authorities have reported an average total improvement of approximately 16.7 per cent. to 31 March 2005.
	Results for all local authorities can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/heca95/pdf/heca-data2005.pdf

Energy Efficiency

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what events in support of Energy Efficiency Week his Department has  (a) sponsored and  (b) participated in.

Ian Pearson: The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is funded by Government to encourage and promote, through partnership, the sustainable and efficient use of energy. Defra is providing EST with around £28 million funding in 2006-07 to help support its work of promoting energy efficiency through advertising programmes, advice centres and the endorsement of energy saving products. Its Energy Efficiency Week, now in its tenth year, plays a key part in its public awareness strategy.
	This year's Energy Saving Week (Monday 23 October to Sunday 29 October) focused on how individual consumers can make a difference by adopting small measures to reduce the amount of energy they consume on a daily basis. The overall campaign theme is "Commit to Save Your 20%", and Energy Saving Week contributes to this by promoting the idea that ordinary actions make extraordinary things happen. The EST are aiming to highlight that through everyday, "normal" actions, consumers are able to make an enormous difference—both to help the environment and save themselves money.

Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reform the Enhanced Capital Allowance scheme to widen its scope to include thermal mass and night time ventilation.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 25 October 2006
	The Carbon Trust administers the Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) scheme for energy-saving plant and machinery and considers the technical merits of further technology classes for inclusion in the scheme. I understand that the trust has carefully considered an application for the inclusion of thermal mass and night time ventilation technologies. On the details provided to the Carbon Trust it appears that rather than comprising plant and machinery covered by the scheme, the primary components of these technologies are flooring and roofing. However, some equipment which is occasionally used with thermal mass or night time ventilation installation is included in the ECA scheme and can already qualify for the accelerated allowances.

Flood Protection

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) the Government,  (b) North Yorkshire county council and  (c) City of York council spent on flood alleviation and protection in the Ouse catchment in each year since 1992.

Ian Pearson: Defra funds most of the Environment Agency's flood related work and grant aids individual capital improvement projects undertaken by local authorities and, in low-lying areas, internal drainage boards. The programme to manage risk is driven by these operating authorities; Defra does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on what specific projects to undertake.
	The following table shows expenditure on flood protection and alleviation measures in the Ouse catchment area. This is defined as that part of the Ouse catchment between the confluence with the River Ure and the confluence with the River Derwent. The figures for local authority spend have been taken from returns by the authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and represents their own spend plus their levies to internal drainage boards. This local authority spend is largely supported by revenue support grant from DCLG.
	Grant payments by Defra for local authority and internal drainage board capital improvement projects are not recorded by catchment. We have not been able to identify any such funding for the area and years in question.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Environment Agency  City of York  North Yorkshire county council 
			   Revenue  Capital  Total   
			 1992-93 280 570 850 109 0 
			 1993-94 220 480 700 97 0 
			 1994-95 220 180 400 122 0 
			 1995-96 210 90 300 96 0 
			 1996-97 200 60 260 373 0 
			 1997-98 300 90 390 356 0 
			 1998-99 400 90 490 660 0 
			 1999-2000 490 100 590 411 0 
			 2000-01 580 400 980 464 0 
			 2001-02 675 920 1,595 559 0 
			 2002-03 775 920 1,695 561 0 
			 2003-04 850 2,120 2,970 582 0 
			 2004-05 950 3,020 3,970 618 0 
			 2005-06 1,050 5,600 6,650 928 0

Light Bulbs

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the merits of instituting a ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs.

Ian Pearson: The Government are committed to using all suitable policy instruments to remove the least efficient products from UK markets. Our current assessment is that, by removing ordinary incandescent light bulbs (GLS bulbs) from the UK market and encouraging sales of the most efficient alternatives, we could avoid approximately one million tonnes of carbon emissions per year by 2020.
	The UK cannot unilaterally ban or prevent the free trade in products such as incandescent light bulbs on the basis of their energy efficiency. However, the Government are pressing the European Commission to make light bulbs a priority for regulatory action under the recently agreed Eco-Design for Energy Using Products (EUP) framework directive. We are also discussing with retailers and manufacturers how we can remove inefficient lighting products from UK shelves in advance of regulations.

Nirex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which stakeholders have been consulted about his decision to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority;
	(2)  if he will initiate a public consultation on his proposals to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	Other UK Government Departments, the devolved Administrations and the independent environment and nuclear safety regulators were consulted by my Department when formulating the response to the report of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management.
	Presentations have also been received from other bodies. United Kingdom Nirex Limited, who have made a number of representations to Ministers and officials, now have the opportunity to comment on the proposed ownership transfer and how it could best be brought about.

Nirex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from the Sustainable Development Commission on the proposals to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	No formal representations have been received from the Sustainable Development Commission. However, the issue of the UK Government and devolved Administrations' response to the report of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management has been referred to in meetings with the Sustainable Development Commission.

Nuclear Decomissioning Authority

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of the Health and Safety Executive is in regulating the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Health and Safety Executive regulates the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority (NDA) under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and associated relevant statutory provisions. In addition, it regulates the nuclear sites owned by the NDA under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Nuclear Installations Act 1965. The Health and Safety Executive and the NDA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), accessible on the NDA website at www.nda.gov.uk/documents/mou_nda_and_hse.pdf
	The MOU commits the NDA to:
	Develop and maintain a constructive working relationship with the Health and Safety Executive and respond positively to criticism and challenge;
	Engage as appropriate in joint working with the Health and Safety Executive, other nuclear regulators, site licensees/operators and other stakeholders to resolve issues of substance;
	Do nothing which inhibits the Health and Safety Executive or the other nuclear regulators in the exercise of their statutory powers, functions and duties (including taking enforcement action);
	Take appropriate action as and when it is made aware of any concerns the Health and Safety Executive might have about the operation of any designated site, installation or facility.
	The Secretary of State recently announced that Nirex's technical work will now be undertaken by NDA. By agreement, and through working in co-operation with HSE, the Environment Agency has exercised regulatory scrutiny over Nirex's arrangements for 'Letters of Compliance' in relation to proposals from nuclear site licensees for radioactive waste treatment, and scrutiny of Nirex's generic performance assessment for a phased geological repository concept which underpins the LoC system. The Health and Safety Executive will continue to scrutinise nuclear site licensees' proposals for conditioning radioactive wastes, together with the underpinning technical work that will now be undertaken by NDA.
	In respect of health and safety provisions within NDA offices, this is shared between the HSE and the relevant local authority, depending on the office location.

Nuclear Decomissioning Authority

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the role of the Environment Agency is in regulating the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Environment Agency regulates the nuclear sites owned by the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority (NDA). The Environment Agency and the NDA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), accessible on the NDA website at www.nda.gov.uk/documents/mou_nda_and_environment_agency.pdf
	The MOU commits the NDA to:
	(a) develop and maintain a constructive working relationship with the Environment Agency and respond positively to criticism and challenge;
	(b) engage as appropriate in joint working with the Environment Agency, other nuclear regulators, site licensees/operators and other stakeholders to resolve issues of substance;
	(c) do nothing which inhibits the Environment Agency or the other nuclear regulators in the exercise of their statutory powers, functions and duties (including taking enforcement action);
	(d) take appropriate action as and when it is made aware of any concerns the Environment Agency might have about the operation of any designated site, installation or facility.
	By agreement, and through working in co-operation with Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency has exercised regulatory scrutiny over Nirex's arrangements for 'Letters of Compliance' in relation to proposals from nuclear site licensees for radioactive waste treatment, and scrutiny of Nirex's generic performance assessment for a phased geological repository concept which underpins the LoC system. The Environment Agency will continue to scrutinise nuclear site licensees' proposals for conditioning radioactive wastes, together with the underpinning technical work that will now be undertaken by NDA, as recently announced by the Secretary of State.

Office of Climate Change

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date he expects the Office of Climate Change to report on its audit of existing work on climate change; and if he will make the report publicly available.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Office of Climate Change will support Ministers as they develop future UK strategy and policy on domestic and international climate change. We do not expect the Office to publish its reports.

Office of Climate Change

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the membership is of the  (a) Ministerial and  (b) official board of the Office of Climate Change; and which Department each member represents.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Office of Climate Change will be governed by a ministerial board chaired by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and including the Foreign Secretary, Secretaries of State from the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Trade and Industry, the Department for International Development and the Department for Transport, the Financial Secretary, and relevant Ministers of State.
	The Office's Officials Board will comprise a similar representation of Departments.

Rural Watercourses

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction in spending by the Environment Agency on the maintenance of rural watercourses over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Defra and the Environment Agency are working closely to mitigate any impacts from the recently announced reductions to the Agency's budget. These will be in the order of £14.9 million from the flood risk management budget, and are focused on resource and not capital spend. Following these changes the Agency's flood risk management budget for 2006-07 is still 35 per cent. higher in real terms than in 1996-97.

Sewage System (London)

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings his Department has had with the Mayor of London in relation to London's sewage system; when those meetings took place; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of those meetings.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 9 October 2006
	My hon. Friend the then Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Mr Morley) met with Ken Livingstone and discussed London's sewage system on 9 February 2005. I met with him on 8 June 2006.
	I will arrange for a copy of a summary of the notes of the meetings on 9 February 2005 and 8 June 2006 to be placed in the Library of the House. Most of this information is already in the public domain through Defra press releases on 2 December 2005, 18 January 2006 and 27 July 2006, and the Thames Tideway Strategic Study report of November 2005. I am withholding some information, the release of which could prejudice the ability of the Department to develop policy effectively in this area.

Sustainable Energy

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking  (a) to encourage and  (b) to support home-owners who wish to move to sustainable energy sources from a reliance on fossil fuels.

Ian Pearson: Many of the Government initiatives which support low carbon microgeneration by householders are set out in the Microgeneration Strategy (March 2006) "Our Energy Challenge". This includes details of the grants available for projects under the £80 million, three year, Low Carbon Buildings Programme, for which householders are eligible.
	Defra is providing the Energy Saving Trust (EST) with around £28 million of funding in 2006-07. It promotes energy-saving products including microgeneration products.
	Under the Energy Efficiency Commitment, electricity and gas suppliers have to meet targets for improving household energy efficiency. The current phase provides incentives for innovative action. In future, we are looking to include other renewable microgeneration technologies such as micro-wind. With the Department for Trade and Industry and Ofgem, we are considering how to make it easier for householders and other microgenerators to export their energy to the national grid.
	Under the Renewables Obligation, energy suppliers are required to source a rising percentage of their energy from renewable sources. Microgenerators, such as householders, are entitled to claim Renewable Obligation Certificates under this obligation. The Government are looking to make it easier for groups of householders to claim these valuable certificates. This has also provided incentives for the emergence of a number of "green tariffs" so that householders can choose to buy energy from renewable sources.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Casinos

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs. May) of 20 October 2005,  Official Report, column 1135W, on casinos, what the  (a) name of the applicant,  (b) location and  (c) date was of each of the casino planning applications that the Deputy Prime Minister considered.

Meg Munn: The First Secretary of State considered two mixed use developments that included a casino element. Dunstall Park Centre Ltd. made an application for planning permission at the Dunstall Park Centre in Wolverhampton on 30 June 2003, a call-in letter was issued on 28 April 2004 and the decision was issued on 4 July 2005. Lear Management Ltd. made an application for planning permission at Waterloo Road, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent on 26 October 2001, a call-in letter was issued on 28 May 2002 and the decision was issued on 8 March 2004. Copies of these decisions can be found in the Library of the House.

Civil Servants (Expenses)

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 19 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1595W, on civil servants (expenses), what the expenditure was of the private office of the Deputy Prime Minister on overnight subsistence in each year of the existence of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Consultancies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 802W, on consultancies, when the requested document will be placed in the Library.

Angela Smith: The document was placed in the Library of the House on 24 July 2006.

Departmental Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many confirmed security breaches have occurred of computer databases controlled by her Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created in May 2006. Since that date no such security breaches have been reported. Prior to this there were three instances which affected ODPM since its creation in May 2002.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will delay the implementation date for home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: No, the implementation of thehome information packs, including valuable energy performance information is set for 1 June 2007.

Home Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in what ways sellers will be encouraged to take up voluntary home information packs during the dry run.

Yvette Cooper: Home information packs (HIPs) will be promoted by participating estate agents and local information campaigns. To get the trials going and to test the HIPs, there will be a limited number of free packs and reduced cost packs, for sellers who want to try them out, as well as full cost packs.

House Sales

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many completed sales through  (a) Shared Ownership and  (b) Key Worker Schemes were funded by the Housing Corporation in each year since 1997-98;
	(2)  how many completed sales through the Starter Home Initiative there have been in each year since its inception.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the homes funded through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme, Local Authority Social Housing Grant and Starter Home Initiative since 1997-98.
	
		
			   Shared Ownership  LASHG Shared Ownership  Key Worker Living  Starter Home Initiative 
			 1997-98 6,515 637 0 0 
			 1998-99 5,812 491 0 0 
			 1999-2000 3,147 533 0 0 
			 2000-01 2,551 567 0 0 
			 2001-02 2,211 695 0 90 
			 2002-03 2,315 672 0 2,650 
			 2003-04 3,574 577 0 7,029 
			 2004-05 5,093 508 3,812 290 
			 2005-06 7,127 382 6,539 0 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	The two Shared Ownership columns include both new build and refurbishment and acquisition as well as Do-it-yourself Shared Ownership. The latter being purchases on the open market but on shared ownership terms. These figures exclude the specific Key Worker schemes: Key Worker Living and the Starter Home Initiative.
	Key Worker Living includes both shared ownership schemes and HomeBuy. It does not include units purchased by Key Workers in non-Key Worker specific schemes.
	The table does not include any units provided by resales, staircasing or by SI06 obligations not in receipt of grant.

Ministerial Duties

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many events she has attended hosted by the  (a) Muslim,  (b) Hindu,  (c) Christian,  (d) Buddhist,  (e) Sikh,  (f) Jewish and  (g) gay and lesbian communities since her appointment.

Meg Munn: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has attended a range of events involving representatives of different faith groups, interfaith organisations and other communities since her appointment.

Planning

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 813W, on planning, if she will publish an updated list with the name of the  (a) applicant and  (b) agent of the applicant.

Yvette Cooper: Decision Letters, which provide details of the applicant (and agent where applicable), for planning cases that have been approved or refused by the Secretary of State, and her predecessor, from 1 April 2002 to 1 March 2006, can be found on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l143333
	The details of cases from 1 March 2006 onwards are currently being uploaded on to that website.

Tablighi Jamaat

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) others in her Department have met representatives of Tablighi Jamaat during the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: Since the Department for Communities and Local Government's creation in May 2006, neither the Secretary of State, her Ministers or officials within her Department have held meetings with anyone representing Tablighi Jamaat.

Travellers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she plans to take to ensure uniformity in the way that local authorities undertake assessments of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs.

Meg Munn: The Department has issued draft guidance for local authorities on undertaking accommodation needs assessments for Gypsies and Travellers and assessments are under way or completed in 80 per cent. of local authorities. The guidance will be revised in light of emerging experience on the ground, including feedback from housing and planning professionals and researchers who are helping my Department to identify best practice. The final version of the guidance will be published in the new year and this will help to ensure consistency of approach. Ultimately, the quality of accommodation needs assessments will be tested through the soundness of regional and local plans that make provision for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation, based on requirements identified through such studies.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Telephone Inquiries

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) missed and  (b) received calls there were to her Department's general inquiries telephone number in each week of the last 12 months; and how many members of staff are employed to answer that telephone line.

David Lammy: The information relating to call response rates is not currently held centrally.
	Since July this year, the Department's main switchboard has been permanently manned by one member of staff from 09.30 to 6.30, Monday to Friday, with a voicemail service provided so that inquiries arriving at busy periods can be dealt with as quickly as possible as call volumes subside.

Olympic Games

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with possible future owners of West Ham United on the post-2012 use of the main Olympic Stadium;
	(2)  what discussions she has held with  (a) the Football Association,  (b) football clubs and  (c) UK Athletics on the post-2012 use of the main Olympic stadium.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 30 October 2006
	On 3 July 2006, I and representatives of the other Olympic stakeholders met the Mayor of Newham and representatives of West Ham United to discuss the legacy of the Olympic stadium. I have held no discussions with any future possible owners of West Ham United or with the Football Association or other football clubs.
	However, the Minister for Sport and officials have previously had exploratory discussions with those with a potential interest in the legacy use of the stadium, including football clubs.
	The Olympic Delivery Authority announced in July that it had appointed consultants to scope possible community legacy uses for the stadium to ensure that Games and legacy use are planned together. They are consulting community groups, sporting bodies and other interested parties. Both UK Athletics and the International Association of Athletics Federations are involved in the consultants' work. This work will conclude at the end of the year.

Osborne Estate

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what progress she has made with the plans to reassign the use of those parts of Osborne House that were previously used as a convalescent home under the terms of the Osborne Estate Acts 1902 and 1914;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on the future of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

David Lammy: English Heritage is responsible for the management of Osborne House, including the wing previously used as a convalescent home. English Heritage will explore proposals for the use of the wing, subject to Parliament's approval of repeal of part of the Osborne Estate Act 1902. Any proposals will be subject to consultation with the local community, and will go through the usual planning procedures.

Osborne Estate

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists visted Osborne House in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: These details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 263,851 
			 2002-03 229,974 
			 2003-04 231,028 
			 2004-05 226,325 
			 2005-06 232,019

Osborne Estate

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been earned through commercial and private activities at Osborne House in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: These details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 1,552,357 
			 2002-03 1,338,733 
			 2003-04 1,489,962 
			 2004-05 1,520,380 
			 2005-06 1,667,327

Osborne Estate

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the convalescent wing of Osborne House in each of the last 10 years.

David Lammy: The convalescent home at Osborne House closed in 2000. From the period 1996 to 2000, English Heritage estimates that £40,000 was spent each year on its maintenance. Following the closure of the convalescent home, maintenance costs have been amalgamated for the whole house and are therefore not captured separately.

Phone-in Quizzes

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to classify television phone-in quizzes as lotteries under the Gambling Act 2005.

Richard Caborn: The Government have no intention of seeking to regulate genuine prize competitions under gambling law. However, the Government are also firmly committed to maintaining the longstanding convention that lotteries should only be held for good causes and not for private gain.
	The Gambling Act 2005, which will come into force in September 2007, will introduce a new definition of a lottery and a complex lottery.
	Subsection 14(3) of the new Act provides that an arrangement is a complex lottery if:
	(a) persons are required to pay in order to participate in the arrangement,
	(b) in the course of the arrangement one or more prizes are allocated to one or more members of a class,
	(c) the prizes are allocated by a series of processes, and
	(d) the first of those processes relies wholly on chance.
	Ultimately only the courts will be able to decide whether or not certain television phone-in quizzes constitute lotteries under the new Act. However, the Gambling Commission is currently consulting on its view that some television quizzes would need to change the way that they are currently operated to ensure that they comply with the new rules.

Seaside Piers

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many seaside pier owners in the  (a) public and  (b) private sector have applied for lottery funding to maintain and improve their piers since the inception of the lottery; and how many have been successful.

Richard Caborn: According to information supplied by the Heritage Lottery Fund:
	 (a) Ten public sector organisations (local authorities and trusts) have applied for Heritage Lottery Fund funding to maintain and improve their seaside piers. Six were successful in gaining funding.
	 (b) One private sector owner has applied for HLF funding to maintain and improve their pier. This bid was not successful.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Literacy

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of levels of adult literacy in England; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The 2003 "Skills for Life Survey" reported that 5.2 million people of working age in England have literacy skills below Level 1 (broadly equivalent to the level required to pass an English GCSE at grades D to G.)
	Our "Skills for Life" strategy offers adults literacy tuition free of charge up to Level 2 (broadly equivalent to the level required to pass an English GCSE at grades A* to C.). Since the launch of the "Skills for Life" strategy in 2001, 3.7 million learners have taken up 7.9 million "Skills for Life" learning opportunities; this includes approximately 3.2 million literacy learning opportunities. 1,275,000 learners have gone on to attain at least one "Skills for Life" qualification; this includes approximately 450,000 literacy qualifications.

Further Education Budget

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adults participated in further education in each of the last 20 years.

Phil Hope: Data on enrolments in further education are not available on a comparable basis prior to 1994/95. The following table shows numbers of enrolments in further education in England by those aged 19 or over, for each year from 1994/95 to 2004/05:
	
		
			  Number of enrolments (thousands) 
			   FE institutions  Adult education enrolments  Total 
			 1994/95 1,539 1,034 2,574 
			 1995/96 2,095 1,099 3,194 
			 1996/97 2,770 1,174 3,944 
			 1997/98 2,775 1,015 3,789 
			 1998/99 2,669 1,056 3,725 
			 1999/2000 2,612 1,007 3,619 
			 2000/01 2,777 n/a n/a 
			 2001/02 3,221 n/a n/a 
			 2002/03 3,521 993 4,514 
			 2003/04 3,456 896 4,352 
			 2004/05 3,477 890 4,367 
			  Notes: 1. For 2000/01-2001/02 there is no breakdown of Adult Education (AE) data by age band so a breakdown by age cannot be shown. It is known that the totals for 2000/01 and 2001/02 were 1,041 thousand and 1,052 thousand respectively and that typically 95 to 97 per cent. of all adult education (AE) enrolments are aged 19 or over. 2. All figures exclude school 6(th) forms.  Sources: 1. FE enrolments: 1994/95 to 1996/97—FEFC: Student Statistics ISR/SFR22; 1996/97-2004/05—LSC Statistical First Release ILR/SFR08 2. Adult Education Enrolments in England: 1994/95-2002/03—Adult Education Enrolments, DfES; 2003/04-2004/05—LSC Statistical First Release ILR/SFR08

Student Debt

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice and support is provided to  (a) students and  (b) students from poorer backgrounds on managing debt (i) while at university and (ii) after graduation.

Bill Rammell: Higher Education Institutions and student unions operate money advice services. Most institutions provide a range of student services for their students, and specifically for those students from poorer backgrounds who need particular help, including advice on managing their finances.
	Advice and support on money and debt management is also offered by a wide range of other organisations. For example, as part of the Financial Services Authority's financial capability initiative, Roehampton university have piloted their money doctors scheme, helping students to become financially competent, to confront debt and take control of their own finances; and 18 other institutions will be developing the piloted approaches. UNIAID provide tools, including a new student calculator, to develop budgeting skills and increase understanding of finance. Graduates have access to the same debt advisory services as other adults including citizens advice bureaux, the Financial Services Association and the Consumer Credit Counselling Service; the Money Advice Liaison Group; and the Money Advice Association.
	It is important to recognise that the student loan debt incurred while at university or college is repaid by the student only after leaving the course and when they are earning £15,000 or more; and then only at a rate of 9 per cent. on earnings above that threshold. The Government are providing more in upfront loan and grant support than ever before, particularly for low income students. Full-time eligible students are now entitled to maintenance grants of up to £2,700, with HE institutions also providing bursaries of typically £1,000. Managing debt has to be seen in that broader context.

Vocational Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what schemes are in place to support the study of vocational subjects  (a) at GCSE level,  (b) A-level and  (c) in further education.

Phil Hope: The Increased Flexibility for 14 to 16-year-olds Programme (IFP) was introduced in 2002. The aim of the programme was to create enhanced vocational and work-related learning opportunities for 14 to 16-year-olds of all abilities who can benefit most—this included supporting provision of GCSEs in vocational subjects. A fifth cohort of students embarked on the programme this September.
	The young apprenticeship programme for 14 to 16-year-olds offers pupils the opportunity to pursue, alongside their core curriculum, industry-specific courses of study involving extended work experience. Young apprentices combine the practical application of skills in a vocational context with studying for qualifications that relate to particular occupational sectors. There are currently 5,500 pupils on the young apprenticeship programme.
	Apprenticeships are the main programme for young employed people seeking vocational qualifications at Level 2 and Level 3. Other opportunities are also being developed, including a pilot programme that started in April this year aimed at encouraging 16 to 18-year-olds in jobs without training to gain a Level 2 qualification, whether academic or vocational.
	The first five specialised diplomas will be available from September 2008 and will offer young people a real alternative to traditional learning styles by offering a high quality, innovative blend of general education and applied, work-related learning.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Appointments

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) Protestant,  (b) Roman Catholic and  (c) non-determined applicants there have been to each of the newly announced governing bodies of the six area-based colleges of further and higher education in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  how many  (a) Protestant,  (b) Roman Catholic and  (c) non-determined applications to join the governing bodies of the six area-based colleges in Northern Ireland were shortlisted.

Maria Eagle: There were two separate competitions involving further education colleges monitored by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The first, which has now been completed and the outcome announced, was for applications to the position of chair; the second competition, which is still under way, is for the appointment of members. Community background information was collected for statistical purposes and played no part in the appointment process.
	The following table provides a breakdown in terms of community background for these competitions.
	
		
			   Protestant  Roman Catholic  Non-determined  
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Total 
			 Chair applicants 16 50 13 41 3 9 32 
			 Chair applicants invited for interview 12 52 10 43 1 4 23 
			 Member applicants 100 50 85 43 15 8 200 
			 Member applicants invited for interview 53 47 51 45 9 8 113 
			 Total applicants(1) 104 50 91 43 15 7 210 
			 Total applicants invited for interview(1) 57 48 55 46 8 7 120 
			 (1) The totalled figures reflect the combined number of individual applicants for the chair and members' competitions. Unsuccessful chair applicants carried forward to the members' competition are not included in these totals, for the purpose of avoiding double counting.

Best Practice Scheme

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1544-5W, on the best practice scheme, what steps he is taking to encourage more staff in  (a) each Department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office and  (b) the voluntary and community sectors to participate in the Northern Ireland best practice scheme.

David Hanson: Staff in all Northern Ireland Departments, including the Northern Ireland Office are invited to attend all best practice events. Some of these are targeted at staff at particular grades or working in specific areas. While attendance at events is free, numbers are limited by available space with some events allowing for greater numbers than others.
	The scheme is actively supported by the Northern Ireland Civil Service Permanent Secretaries Group and Permanent Secretaries lead events and encourage staff to attend and feel empowered to apply the learning.
	Voluntary and community sector organisations have been invited to participate in learning activities through the Chief Executive's Forum, the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and the Association of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations (ACOVO).

Departmental Expenditure

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were employed in the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland in each Northern Ireland county in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: The information requested is not routinely collected or available in the format.
	However I can advise, from current information available, based on location at which staff are headquartered, the number of staff employed in each Northern Ireland county is as follows as at 26 October 2006:
	
		
			  County  Staff numbers 
			 Antrim 492 
			 Armagh 207 
			 Down 1449 
			 Fermanagh 258 
			 Londonderry/Derry 420 
			 Tyrone 500

Departmental Expenditure

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the administrative costs of running the Department of Agriculture headquarters at Dundonald House were in the last year for which figures are available; and what the staffing levels at that location were in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The information requested is not routinely collected or available in the format requested.
	However I can advise that current staffing levels for Dundonald House and estimated administrative costs as of 26 October 2006 are as follows:
	Staff headquartered at Dundonald House—808
	Administrative costs—£30.8 million

District Command Units

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average number of police officers was in each district command unit in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland of the following details in respect of the number of police officers deployed across each district command unit over the last two years.
	
		
			   Regular  FTR  PTR 
			  District command unit  2005( 1)  2006( 1)  2005( 1)  2006( 1)  2005( 1)  2006( 1) 
			 Antrim 142 139 39 28 17 14 
			 Ards 142 138 29 13 69 56 
			 Armagh 128 124 37 27 16 13 
			 Ballymena 147 151 14 10 32 29 
			 Ballymoney 68 66 9 6 5 5 
			 Banbridge 99 98 12 8 35 28 
			 Belfast East 209 191 85 51 60 55 
			 Belfast North 343 317 71 49 67 54 
			 Belfast South 393 368 53 33 72 67 
			 Belfast West 233 209 82 57 0 0 
			 Carrickfergus 76 75 25 17 28 28 
			 Castlereagh 118 114 42 32 41 28 
			 Coleraine 150 166 23 12 48 57 
			 Cookstown 90 89 14 5 3 2 
			 Craigavon 191 192 27 26 27 26 
			 Down 161 152 35 18 25 21 
			 Dungannon 142 132 28 23 7 6 
			 Fermanagh 161 155 44 29 21 19 
			 Foyle 253 259 50 54 7 5 
			 Larne 69 68 11 8 17 12 
			 Limavady 82 90 14 14 4 j 4 
			 Lisburn 242 243 41 37 110 98 
			 Magherafelt 97 89 22 6 4 4 
			 Moyle 37 37 7 3 3 2 
			 Newry and Mourne 206 199 45 59 4 3 
			 Newtownabbey 161 163 22 16 72 67 
			 North Down 143 145 34 20 36 32 
			 Omagh 123 126 25 9 19 18 
			 Strabane 118 109 32 16 16 15 
			 Total 4,524 4,404 972 686 865 768 
			 (1) As at October each year.

District Command Units

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what method the Police Service of Northern Ireland uses to record average response times across its district command units.

Paul Goggins: I have been advised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland that average response times to calls are not routinely recorded.

Inter-parliamentary Meetings

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many times committees of the British-Irish Inter Parliamentary Body have met in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years; what issues were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I am unable to provide this information as the British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (BIIPB) is an independent body.
	The hon. Lady may wish to write to the chairman of the BIIPB, my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy).

Joint Medical School

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the recent proposals from the University of Ulster and the National University of Ireland in Galway on a joint medical school will be considered by the cross-border action group established to consider needs and opportunities in the North West.

David Hanson: The joint group of officials from the two Governments participating in the North West Gateway Initiative are aware of the proposal being developed and are monitoring further developments within the two Universities.

Prisons

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 455W, on prisons, if he will make a statement on the decision of  (a) the Director of Custodian Services at the Juvenile Justice Centre, Bangor not to recognise representatives of the Prison Officers Association (POA) and  (b) the Industrial Court not to accept the application by the POA for arbitration during the review of work practices.

David Hanson: The information is as follows.
	 (a) While the Youth Justice Agency will continue to liaise with POA when representing individual members of staff who are members of the POA, it is satisfied that it has adequate local negotiating arrangements in place in the Juvenile Justice Centre with the UNISON and NIPSA trade unions.
	 (b) The Industrial Court in their decision of 31 May 2006 ruled that the POA in its letters of request did not specify that the request was made under schedule 1A of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (NI) Order 1995 and accordingly their request was not valid.

Roads (Scotland)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions there have been with the Department of Transport and the Scottish Executive about upgrading the road from Stranraer to Carlisle; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: There have been no discussions.

Robert McCartney

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers worked on the Robert McCartney investigation in each month since his murder.

Paul Goggins: The deployment of police resources is a matter for the Chief Constable. PSNI have confirmed that a team of officers, under the leadership of a Senior Investigating Officer, continue to investigate the murder of Robert McCartney.

Website Content

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures are in place  (a) to regulate and  (b) to manage social network websites with particular reference to sectarian content aimed at young people.

David Hanson: Social network websites and other online activities such as blogging are in the main user-generated.
	As with much of the internet, such online material is generally unregulated and self-managed: it may have little, if any, moderated content.
	Government in Northern Ireland, however, does have a number of specific online initiatives (including the MyGroupNI website and NI Smart Communities facility) which are focused at a cross-community level and these have clear and specific guidelines in place on both content and layout.

Zebra Mussels

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1787W, on zebra mussels, what assessment he has made of the impact of zebra mussels on the Lough Neagh ecology; and what the projected impact is for each of the next three years.

David Cairns: The zebra mussel population in Lough Neagh has not yet reached the point where we would expect to see ecological impacts and it is too early to judge what the impact may be over the next three years.
	The colonisation of Lough Erne was rapid, reaching maximum population levels within four years. It is not possible at this stage to predict exactly how quickly the colonisation in Lough Neagh will progress but it may be slower than in Lough Erne. Lough Neagh has a lower proportion of hard grounds such as rock and gravel, which are the areas initially favoured by zebra mussels, and more of the less suitable sand and mud which may remain zebra mussel free for longer.
	As population levels of zebra mussels increase the nature of the lake bottom will change and their filter feeding activity will reduce the amount of algae in the lake, increasing water clarity. This will have as yet uncertain implications for fish, birds, water abstraction, navigation and other interests. The Inter-Departmental Zebra Mussel Control Group will continue to work closely with the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee in relation to monitoring the spread of mussels, advising on mitigation measures and keeping the public aware of the issues.

Zebra Mussels

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1787W, on zebra mussels, what steps he is taking to halt the spread of zebra mussels in Lough Neagh.

David Cairns: Since zebra mussels were first found on the hull of a boat in Kinnegoe Marina on 21 November 2005 further investigation has shown that very young zebra mussels are present at several points around the Lough. This means that there is an established adult breeding population. Previous experience suggests that it is not possible to eradicate zebra mussels or halt their future spread, once they have become established. In very specific situations such as on boat hulls, jetties or pipework it may be possible to prevent them settling and/or remove them using a variety of techniques.
	The Inter-Departmental Zebra Mussel Control Group will continue to work closely with the Lough Neagh Advisory Committee in relation to monitoring the spread of mussels, advising on mitigation measures and keeping the public aware of the issues.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which databases operated by her Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Patrick McFadden: None of the databases operated by my Department are located either wholly or partly outside the United Kingdom.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  whether her Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment;
	(2)  what proportion of vacancies in the Cabinet Office in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics GCSE.

Patrick McFadden: Professional qualifications are sought where they are a pre-requisite for the post in question. Most Cabinet Office recruitment however is based on competence (skills and experience) rather than formal qualifications. Potential recruits are requested to provide details of their formal qualifications when they apply for a Cabinet Office vacancy as part of their background information on educational attainment. Applicants are therefore welcome to detail their International GCSEs. No vacancies in the Department have been specifically advertised requiring GCSEs in English and mathematics in the last 12 months.

Muslim Council of Britain

Michael Gove: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) financial support and  (b) support in kind her Department and its agencies has given to the Muslim Council of Britain each year since 1997.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office has not provided any financial support to the Muslim Council of Britain since 1997.
	Information on any support in kind which the Cabinet Office may have given to the Muslim Council of Britain since 1997 is not separately recorded on the Department's accounting system and is therefore not available.

Official Residences

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which  (a) Government Departments and  (b) departmental divisions occupy (i) the Ripley Building and (ii) Admiralty House; and which (A) Ministers and (B) civil servants are responsible for each.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1625W and the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 16 October 2006,  Official Report, column 995-96W.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what savings estimate she has made of the effect on costs of the reforms to public sector pensions agreed with trades unions in 2005 for each year between 2006-07 and 2050-51; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Social Exclusion Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, on what date the Social Exclusion Unit ceased to exist; why the decision was made to end the work of the Unit; and which agency now has responsibility for taking forward the work programme of the Unit.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	On 17 July 2006 responsibility for social exclusion transferred from the Social Exclusion Unit, based in the Department for Communities and Local Government, to the Social Exclusion Task Force, based in the Cabinet Office. This followed the appointment of a Cabinet-level Minister for Social Exclusion in the Cabinet Office.
	The Social Exclusion Task Force now leads cross-Government work on social exclusion and provides support to the Minister. It published "Reaching Out, the Government's Action Plan on Social Exclusion", in September 2006. The main work programme of the Social Exclusion Unit ("Improving Services, Improving Lives") was completed in July 2006.

Social Exclusion Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, what funding and resources were assigned to the former Social Exclusion Unit for 2006-07; and where this funding will be directed now that the Unit is no longer in operation.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Social Exclusion Unit's budget for 2006-07 was £2,300,000. Following the closure of the Social Exclusion Unit this funding was distributed in line with the relocation of staff. 19 posts transferred permanently to the Social Exclusion Taskforce, and £916,000 was accordingly allocated to the Cabinet Office. The remainder of the budget was distributed within the Department for Communities and Local Government in line with the deployment of remaining staff including for the new social exclusion (places) work.

Social Exclusion Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 99W, on the Social Exclusion Unit, what evaluation has been carried out of the work carried out by the former Social Exclusion Unit over its lifetime.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	The Social Exclusion Unit was set up in 1997 on a time-limited basis and was reviewed in 1999. This review was conducted by a small group of key stakeholders from inside and outside Government and chaired by the Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat within the Cabinet Office. The review concluded that the Unit had been a success and should continue until at least 2002.
	In 2004 the SEU carried out a major stocktake of the Government's approach to tackling social exclusion—published in the report, "Breaking the Cycle". This brought together evidence from a range of national data sources, evaluation literature and the perspectives of service providers and users, and highlighted progress made by the Government's approach and remaining challenges.

WALES

Commission for Racial Equality

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has with the Commission for Racial Equality in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Commission for Racial Equality keeps me regularly updated on its activities in Wales.
	The National Assembly for Wales also has close links with the Commission, and funds its Croeso campaign, which aims to promote harmony between faiths and races.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which non web-related information technology projects cost his Department more than £1 million since 2001; how many qualified tender proposals there were for each project; and which company was awarded each contract.

Peter Hain: No non web-related projects have cost my Department more than £1 million since 2001. The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) provides all information technology services to the Wales Office and are responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on  (a) information technology projects generally and  (b) web-facing projects in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) expenditure on consultants and (ii) other costs.

Peter Hain: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The National Assembly of Wales provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has provided these services since then. Accordingly the Assembly was responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts up to March 2004 and the DCA has done so since then.
	 (b) i. There has been no expenditure by the Wales Office on consultants regarding IT projects.
	ii. The cost since 2001 for our web-facing projects has been £1,600 for each year, in other costs.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which web-related information technology projects cost his Department more than £50,000 since 2001; which companies submitted qualified tender proposals for each project; and which company was awarded each contract.

Peter Hain: None.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many information technology projects his Department has undertaken in each year since 2001.

Peter Hain: In 2004 my Department moved information technology services from the National Assembly for Wales, who provided information technology support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, to the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) who has provided these services since then.
	Accordingly the Assembly were responsible for sourcing and awarding any contracts up to March 2004 and the DCA has done so since then.

Departmental Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees in his Department were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October.

Peter Hain: No members of staff in Wales Office were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October 2006 as all our staff are currently paid at a rate which is above the new minimum.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office did not pay any bonuses to staff before the 2005-06 financial year.
	In the 2005-06 financial year, one member of staff received a bonus payment of £300 before tax, which represents 1.6 per cent. of the total workforce.
	In the current financial year three members of staff have received bonuses, representing 5 per cent. of the workforce. All of the bonuses together came to £862.30 before tax, and the largest single payment was £362.30.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in his Department.

Peter Hain: In 2005 the Wales Office changed the ministerial car in London to a hybrid car with lower emissions. A hybrid car will also be used from mid November 2006 for ministerial travel undertaken by car in Wales.
	My officials are looking into schemes that would allow the Wales Office to offset all carbon emissions for this financial year.

Muslim Community

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with leaders of the Muslim community in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 19 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1374W.

Olympic Games

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with appropriate bodies to ensure that Wales benefits economically and socially from the London Olympics and Paralympics; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Wales has an important contribution to make to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I meet with the relevant Ministers, in Whitehall and in Cardiff, on a regular basis, to discuss the opportunities presented to Wales by the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.
	The Wales Office is represented on the Welsh Assembly Government's Olympic Steering Group which is engaged with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Nations and Regions Group of the London Organising Committee.
	We intend to maximise the sustainable economic and social benefits to Wales, including those arising from the anticipated increase in tourism. Wales has many excellent training facilities and will offer a warm welcome to visiting teams and supporters. The Games will also produce a significant sporting legacy for Wales with associated health-related benefits.

TRANSPORT

Airport Security (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which groups of people are exempt from passing through security at Northern Ireland's airports; and what the reasons are for the exemptions in each case.

Gillian Merron: Certain passengers such as members of the Royal Family, other Heads of State, Presidents, and Heads of Government are exempt from screening at UK airports, on the basis that their security has been satisfactorily ensured in other ways. However, airlines may require that such exempted persons are searched as a condition of carriage, company policy or at the discretion of the aircraft commander.

Cargo Transfers

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1119W, on cargo transfers, when his Department now expects to consult on the secondary legislation that will regulate ship-to-ship transfers within the limits of the UK's territorial sea; and when this legislation is likely to come into force.

Stephen Ladyman: The secondary legislation which will regulate ship-to-ship transfers within the limits of the UK's territorial sea remains in preparation. The Department expects to be in a position to consult on it early in 2007, with a view to its coming into force in late spring/early summer 2007.

Congestion Charging

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1533W, on congestion charging, what discussions he has held with Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority about road user charging.

Stephen Ladyman: During a visit to Merseyside on12 July this year, I met councillors and officers of the Merseyside authorities and Merseytravel to discuss the Transport Innovation Fund and matters including road user charging. Department for Transport officials have regular meetings with officers of the Merseyside authorities about the range of transport issues.

Consultants

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of consultants used by his Department was in 2005-06.

Gillian Merron: The Department spent £72.1 million on consultants in 2005-06.
	The central Department and its agencies currently have separate accounting systems. This means that it has not been possible in all cases to provide actual expenditure. The central Department and the DVLA have only been able to provide this information in relation to committed spend (i.e. orders raised and contracts awarded during the period in question). Figures are based on the latest revised OGC definition of consultancy.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on taxis in the last 12 months.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on taxis in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport centre has spent £92,212.67 on taxis during the year up to 30 September 2006. In addition, DfT Rail Group has spent £10,704.
	Of the Department's agencies, VOSA, GCDA, MCGA and HA do not record taxi fares separately from other travel expenses, and could provide the information only at disproportionate cost. The remaining agencies spent the following on taxi fares: DSA £91,000, VCA £2,380.90, and DVLA £53,000.

Departmental Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the Department's mail is shipped using private companies; and what the cost was over the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: During the period 1 September 2005 to 31 August 2006 the Department spent £1.7 million with private companies for mail services. This represents 7.5 per cent. of the Department's total spend for this service.

Drink-driving

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrian deaths in road accidents there were where the pedestrian had over 100 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood in each year since 2003; and what percentage of all pedestrian road accident deaths in  (a) England and  (b) each region this represents in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of pedestrian deaths where the pedestrian had a blood alcohol content over 100mg per 100ml and the percentage of all pedestrian road accident deaths in each region this represents are not available. Estimates of the percentage of pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over in England who had over 100 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood are given in the following table. No data are yet available for 2005.
	
		
			  Pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over: England 2003 -04 
			   Percentage of sample with blood alcohol content over 100mg/100ml  Sample size 
			 2003 33 254 
			 2004 37 229 
			  Source:  Coroners' data

Driving Standards Agency

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the Driving Standards Agency Multi-Purpose Test Centre due to be built in Leicester.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driving Standards Agency exchanged contracts on 7 September 2006 for the development of the Multi-Purpose Test Centre at Tigers Road in Wigston, Leicester.
	Building works will begin during the week commencing 27 November, with an estimated completion date of mid to late December 2006.

Eurotunnel

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contractual arrangement the UK Government have with Eurotunnel with regard to freight.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport and Eurotunnel are both signatories to the 1986 Concession Agreement for the channel tunnel. The terms of this agreement oblige Eurotunnel to make agreements with other rail companies in accordance with the Provisions of the Treaty of Canterbury and the Concession Agreement.
	In 1987 the British Railways Board (BRB) and the French national railway (SNCF) entered into a joint long-term usage contract (Channel Tunnel Usage Agreement) (also referred to as the Railways Usage Contract or RUC) with Eurotunnel. This contract—which defines the arrangements for the operation of both rail passenger and rail freight services through the channel tunnel—runs to 2052.
	The UK Government's responsibilities with respect to the channel tunnel rail freight are principally derived from BRB's continuing obligations as formal signatory to the RUC, and from supplementary agreements to the RUC that were implemented to enable the privatisation of BRB's international freight (and passenger) businesses. These were legally transferred to the Strategic Rail Authority in 2001 and subsequently transferred to DfT Rail in August 2005.

Eurotunnel

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with Monsieur Gounon of Eurotunnel with regard to freight.

Tom Harris: Ministers have had no discussions with Monsieur Gounon of Eurotunnel on the subject of freight. Discussions on this matter have been conducted by officials.

Fire Services (Aerodromes)

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) lives saved and  (b) serious injuries prevented as a result of the requirement for lower category aerodromes to have a fire truck permanently on standby.

Gillian Merron: No estimates have been produced in the form requested. However, the Civil Aviation Authority has conducted several reviews over the years which have included reviews of the safety data relating to category one and category two licensed aerodromes. Most recent were a review by the Light Aviation Airports Study Group and the Regulatory Review of General Aviation in the UK. The reports of these reviews were published in January 2006 and July 2006 and copies are available on the CAA website.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason both carriageways of the M1 motorway were closed in Leicestershire on 29 September; who authorised such closure; and what steps were taken to ensure that the motorway was opened as soon as possible.

Stephen Ladyman: Both carriageways of the M1 motorway were closed between junctions 21 and 20 at about 13.20 hrs on 29 September, as a result of an accident involving two cars. An occupant of one of the cars was seriously injured.
	All three lanes of the northbound carriageway were blocked and the southbound carriageway was closed for about two minutes to allow access for the air ambulance. There was no damage to the road infrastructure and the motorway was fully reopened at about 14.50 hrs once the vehicles had been moved to the hard shoulder. A diversion route for northbound traffic was put into operation.
	The closure was instigated and subsequently lifted by the Highways Agency's East Midlands Regional Control Centre at the request of Leicestershire Police, who attended the incident.

Ministerial Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland and  (b) Wales in the last 12 months.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Transport is in close contact with Ministers in the Devolved Administrations, in recent weeks meeting the Transport Minister of the Welsh Assembly and the Transport Ministers of the Scottish Executive. In addition he has made one visit to Scotland in his official capacity. All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Motorways

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 17 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1136W, on motorways, when he expects to extend active traffic management and hard shoulder running to other motorways and trunk roads.

Stephen Ladyman: Initial indications from the current hard shoulder trial on the M42 near Birmingham are encouraging. However, further evidence from the trial will be needed to assess the overall impact on journey times, motorway capacity and safety.
	The Highways Agency will continue to evaluate the evidence as the trial progresses to develop its understanding of the possible application of active traffic management—including hard shoulder running—elsewhere on the motorway and trunk road network. If the trial results prove positive we will want to implement the techniques at other locations as soon as practical.

Muslim Council of Britain

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) financial support and  (b) support in kind his Department and its agencies have given to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport including its agencies has not provided any financial support to the Muslim Council of Britain in any year since 1997.

Northern Ireland Flights

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of  (a) drunken and  (b) disruptive behaviour were reported on flights to and from Northern Ireland's airports in each of the last three years; and what steps he is taking to address this problem.

Gillian Merron: The number of reportable disruptive passenger incidents involving flights to or from Northern Ireland for 2003, 2004 and 2005, including those involving alcohol, is shown in the table. This information is produced from statistics reported by UK airlines to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) through the Disruptive Passenger Reporting Scheme. Information for 2006 is in preparation and will be published in shortly.
	
		
			   Number of reportable incidents  Number of reportable incidents involving alcohol 
			 2003 14 8 
			 2004 31 16 
			 2005 28 10 
		
	
	The Government and the CAA encourage all UK airlines to participate in this reporting scheme and to adopt a zero tolerance policy to make clear that disruptive behaviour on airline flights is not acceptable.

Rail Freight

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tonnage of rail freight was carried in the last year for which figures are available; and what it was in 1997.

Tom Harris: holding answer 26 October 2006
	The figures for tonnage are not held by the Department. However, in the financial years 1996-97 and 1997-98 goods moved by rail freight in Great Britain totalled 15.1 and 16.9 billion tonne kilometres, respectively. And in 2005-06 the equivalent figure was 22.11 billion tonne kilometres. These figures are published in "Rail Trends" by the Office of Rail Regulation, which is on its website www.rail-reg.gov.uk. A copy of this document is held in the House Library. This information supersedes my answer of 17 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1128W.

Rail Freight

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a report on the safety implications of the recent incident that caused a train carrying nuclear waste from Hartlepool to be delayed in Sunderland station for four hours; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The event at Sunderland was a minor incident that did not endanger the flask, its contents, the public or the environment in any way. There were no nuclear safety implications and therefore no reason for any investigation over and above any which the organisations involved would routinely carry out following abnormal events.
	The transport of radioactive material, including irradiated nuclear fuel, is governed by the stringent internationally-agreed standards recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an agency appointed by the United Nations to oversee all aspects of the peaceful uses of atomic energy worldwide. During the period of over 40 years that the IAEA Regulations have been in existence, there has been no instance of death or serious injury to persons, nor significant damage to the environment, from radiological effects caused during the transport of radioactive material worldwide by all modes of transport when properly packaged and transported in conformity with these Regulations.
	Irradiated nuclear fuel flasks are designed to withstand a very severe impact followed by severe fire. The safety of these movements is therefore secured by the design and build quality of the flasks used and not by the particular mode of transport used or route travelled.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were cancelled between October 2005 and October 2006, broken down by reason.

Tom Harris: The number of franchised passenger trains reported as cancelled in the year to August 2006 was 73,830. This represents 1.4 per cent. of the services planned to run.
	The Department does not hold data relating to the reasons for each cancellation, or data relating to non-franchised train services.

Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from biofuels producers regarding the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation.

Stephen Ladyman: Ministers and officials are in regular contact with biofuel producers and other stakeholders about the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). We have taken careful account of their views in designing the scheme. We will formally consult biofuel producers and other stakeholders on the draft secondary legislation giving effect to the RTFO in early 2007.

Road Accidents

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrians have been  (a) injured,  (b) seriously injured and  (c) killed in collisions with cyclists in each region for each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of pedestrians injured in collisions with cyclists in each region for each of the last 12 months is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Pedestrian casualties hit by pedal cycles by severity, government office region and month: GB 2005 
			   Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec 
			  Injured( 1) 
			 North East 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 North West 0 5 3 2 2 4 4 6 2 4 2 1 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 1 2 1 5 4 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 
			 East Midlands 1 1 1 4 1 1 0 2 1 4 0 3 
			 West Midlands 3 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 2 2 0 0 
			 East of England 3 1 1 1 5 5 2 4 3 1 3 0 
			 South East 0 3 5 3 4 6 6 3 3 8 3 4 
			 London 2 3 6 5 7 9 4 7 9 7 6 3 
			 South West 1 0 1 2 0 6 2 2 1 0 1 2 
			 England 11 18 20 22 25 34 23 25 22 27 16 13 
			 Wales 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 
			 Scotland 0 0 3 1 1 4 5 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Total 11 19 24 23 26 38 28 25 23 28 17 14 
			  
			  Seriously injured 
			 North East 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North West 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 1 1 1 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Midlands 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 
			 East of England 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 
			 South East 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 1 1 
			 London 1 0 2 3 1 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 
			 South West 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			 England 2 1 6 5 3 15 5 6 3 5 3 3 
			 Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Scotland 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 2 1 7 5 3 16 5 6 4 5 4 3 
			  
			  Killed 
			 North East 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 West Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East of England 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South East 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. 0 0 0 0 
			 London 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 South West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 England 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Wales 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 (1) Includes casualties that were seriously and slightly injured.

Road Accidents

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured by drivers who were using hand-held mobile phones.

Stephen Ladyman: In 2005 there were 12 people killed and 452 people injured in road accidents where a police officer attended the scene and "driver using mobile phone" was reported as a contributory factor. This contributory factor includes "hand-held" and "hands-free" phones, where their use (or attempted use) contributed to the accident.

Roads Funding

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of how many  (a) trunk road and  (b) local authority road schemes he has withdrawn (i) funding and (ii) approval since 1997; and what the reasons were for the withdrawal of the approval and funding in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: We undertook a detailed review of the trunk roads programme in 1998, the results of which are published in "A New Deal for Trunk Roads in England".
	More recently, we sought advice from the regions in 2005 on their priorities for new schemes on the regional trunk road network and major transport schemes promoted by local authorities. We broadly accepted the regions' advice which recommended that six schemes in the Highways Agency's Targeted Programme of Improvements and eight local authority road schemes with an earlier Government funding approval should not be funded in the period to 2015-16. All other schemes previously approved are currently expected to progress, subject to satisfying statutory and departmental approval processes.

Safety Cameras

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed cameras there are in Halifax; and how many motorists they have recorded exceeding the speed limit in the last 12 months.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department only holds this information for offences detected by the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership within the National Safety Camera Programme. There are currently 10 fixed speed cameras and 13 mobile camera sites operating in Halifax. In the year ending December 2005, the latest 12-month period for which figures are available, 78,780 motorists were recorded exceeding the speed limit in West Yorkshire. Separate figures for Halifax are not available. This information has been provided to the Department by the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership.

Sea and Water

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department gave to Sea and Water in each of the last three years; and what discussions the Department has had with that organisation on the strategic direction for coastal shipping and inland waterways delivery of freight transport.

Stephen Ladyman: Since its formation in 2003-04, Sea and Water has received £120,000 funding per annum from the Department for Transport for start up and running costs. This funding will cease in 2008-09 at the latest, after which Sea and Water will become entirely self-funding. Departmental officials have met with Sea and Water on a regular basis since its inception to discuss how best to realise the potential of water freight.

SS Montgomery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions Royal Navy divers have inspected the hulk of the SS Montgomery  (a) in each of the last three years and  (b) to date in 2006; and what evidence there is that the ship has moved during the past five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery was surveyed by divers in 2003, and by high-resolution multi-beam sonar survey in 2005 and September 2006. The 2003 diver survey comprised an ultra-sonic hull-thickness survey, as well as a visual inspection. The report of this survey is available on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website.
	From these surveys it does not appear that the wreck of the SS Richard Montgomery has moved.

Sustainability of Land Use and Transport in Outer Neighbourhoods

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the research report commissioned by his Department entitled "Sustainability of Land Use and Transport in Outer Neighbourhoods".

Gillian Merron: A report will be produced at the end of the project and this will be made available in the Library of the House. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2007.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Claims Handlers

John Mann: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will conduct an investigation into referral payments by claims handlers to solicitors for mining claims prior to March 2004, including payments by Walker and Co and Indiclaim to various solicitors.

Bridget Prentice: The Department has no plans to investigate referral payments by claims handlers to solicitors for mining claims prior to March 2004. However, the statutory regulation of claims management services, currently being introduced under Part 2 of the Compensation Act 2006, will ensure that the conduct of claims handlers is tightly regulated including their referral practices. Walker and Co and Indiclaim are firms set up and/or run by officials of the UDM/Vendside and are being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO). It would not be appropriate to comment until the SFO have concluded their investigations.

Compensation Act

Lembit �pik: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs by what process a chartered insurance practitioner may apply for an exemption from the requirement for authorisation for very small entities providing regulated claims management services in the context of the Compensation Act 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: A chartered insurance practitioner or any other person should contact the Department's Claims Management Regulation Team (Claims Management Regulation Team, Department for Constitutional Affairs, 3.10 Selborne House 54-60 Victoria Street, London or email: claimsmanagementregulation@dca.gsi.gov.uk) about exemptions or any other aspect of the regulation of claims management services under Compensation Act 2006. DCA published the draft Exemptions Order for consultation between 8 September and 13 October and we are considering the responses made. We plan to lay the first Order in November but if additional exemptions are necessary further Orders can be made.

Compensation Act

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the Compensation Act on the practice of vehicle repair firms being paid by solicitors to refer customers who have been in road traffic accidents to them.

Bridget Prentice: The Compensation Act provides the statutory framework for the regulation of claims management services. The Law Society rules already impose strict requirements on solicitors related to referrals from introducers such as vehicle repair firms. We are considering the appropriate regulatory arrangements to be applied through the new powers provided by the Act. This includes considering if those firms where referrals are purely incidental to their main businessfor example vehicle repairersshould be subject to direct regulation or full responsibility for their compliance with the appropriate rules should be taken by the solicitors or other authorised businesses to whom they introduce to.

Electoral Administration

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has provided for returning officers on the implementation of the Electoral Administration Act 2006.

Bridget Prentice: My Department provides regular updates to election administrators on the provisions of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and subsequent secondary legislation.
	In addition, the Electoral Commission, in accordance with their power under section 10(3) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, are ensuring that returning officers receive sufficient guidance on the implementation of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. This is taking the form of formal written guidance, briefing events, support materials and ministerial meetings.

Jury Service

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reason people over the age of 70 years are prohibited from carrying out jury service; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government agree with Lord Justice Auld's finding in his review of the criminal courts that there is no compelling case for changing the present age limit of 70 for jury service. It would be unreasonable to require people above that age to serve, and having abolished in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 the category of persons who are excusable as of right, we do not propose to reintroduce it for those over 70 in order to allow them to choose to serve as jurors.

Postal Voting

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) on 19 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1387W, on postal voting, 
	(1)  what methods of collecting additional personal identifiers from existing postal voters her Department will advise returning officers to use;
	(2)  whether targets will be set for returning officers for the collection of additional personal identifiers from existing postal voters;
	(3)  what monitoring of the process of collecting additional personal identifiers from existing postal voters her Department will introduce.

Bridget Prentice: The Government plan shortly to make transitional regulations that will require Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to obtain a signature and date of birth from existing postal voters to ensure that they will be subject to the new personal identifiers arrangements for absent voters. The regulations will require EROs to send a notice in writing to existing postal voters requesting the personal identifiers, which may be sent by the Royal Mail, a commercial delivery firm or any other way that the ERO thinks appropriate. EROs will be required to send a reminder to postal voters who have not responded after 21 days. Further, EROs will be required to provide information to existing postal voters about how the personal identifiers will be used, and to explain that failure to provide the personal identifiers will result in the person losing their entitlement to vote by post, though loss of entitlement will not prevent the person from making a fresh postal vote application.
	We do not consider it would be practical to set targets for the collection of the personal identifiers or to put in place formal monitoring arrangements. I understand that the independent Electoral Commission plans to issue guidance to electoral administrators about the collection of personal identifiers from existing postal voters, and to collect data about the number of notices issued by EROs and the percentage that are returned.

Small Claims Courts

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the present maximum claim is that can be pursued in the small claims court; and what consideration she is giving to  (a) increasing and  (b) decreasing the threshold.

Bridget Prentice: The Civil Procedure Rules provide that the small claims track is the normal track for:
	any claim for personal injuries which has a financial value of not more than 5,000 where the claim for damages for personal injuries is not more than 1,000;
	any claim which includes a claim by a tenant of residential premises against his landlord for repairs or other work to the premises where the estimated cost of the repairs or other work is not more than 1,000 and the financial value of any other claim for damages is not more than 1,000;
	any other claim which has a financial value of not more than 5,000.
	We intend to publish a consultation paper, which will include consideration of the case track limits, by the end of the year.

TREASURY

Benefits and Credits Directorate

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff have been in post in the Benefits and Credits Directorate of HM Revenue and Customs in each month since April 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: Benefits and Credits was formed by bringing together staff working on tax credits and child benefit from various parts of the Department, with some additional staff, over the second half of 2005. Records of numbers have not been kept on a monthly basis.

Better Regulation

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals his Department has made on simplification of regulations since he launched the Better Regulation action plan on 24 May 2005; and what progress has been made on implementation of those proposals.

John Healey: The Treasury continues to make good progress on simplifying existing regulations and promotes a risk based approach to regulation in areas where the Treasury is directly responsible.
	The Treasury has measured and set a 25 per cent. target for reducing the administrative burdens its regulations place on business and charities. The Treasury will also publish, by the end of the year, a rolling programme of simplification measures to reform and remove existing regulation.

Breast Cancer

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) men and  (b) women (i) died of and (ii) were diagnosed with breast cancer in (1) the UK, (2) the North of England, (3) South Tyneside and (4) Jarrow constituency in each year since 1996.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 31 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) men and (b) women (i) died of and (ii) were diagnosed with breast cancer in (1) the UK, (2) the North, (3) South Tyneside and (4) Jarrow constituency in each year since 1996.
	The latest available figures for deaths from breast cancer are for the year 2005. Numbers of deaths from breast cancer by sex for the years 1996 to 2005 for the UK, North East Government Office Region (GOR), South Tyneside County District (CD) and Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency (PC) are given in Table 1 below.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2004 (England and Wales) and 2003 (Scotland and Northern Ireland). Numbers of cases of breast cancer by sex for the years 1996 to 2003 for the UK and 1996 to 2004 for North East Government Office Region (GOR), South Tyneside County District (CD) and Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency (PC) are given in Table 2 below.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths where breast cancer was the underlying cause of death,( 1)  UK, North East GOR,  South Tyneside CD and Jarrow PC, 1996 to 2005( 2) 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			  Males   
			 UK(3, 4) 77 77 82 71 77 89 88 82 70 92 
			 North East GOR 5 3 4 3 2 2 7 6 2 3 
			 South Tyneside CD 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1. 0 0 
			 Jarrow PC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			
			  Females   
			 UK(3, 4) 13,708 13,387 13,202 12,946 12,767 13,015 12,846 12,623 12,338 12,417 
			 North East GOR 575 607 567 542 516 555 508 471 522 550 
			 South Tyneside CD 30 42 39 32 31 34 33 28 26 25 
			 Jarrow PC 15 15 17 20 19 16 21 14 13 13 
			 (1 )Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 174-175 for the years 1996 to 2000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1996 to 1999 in Scotland, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code C50 for subsequent years. The introduction of ICD-10 means that the numbers of deaths from this cause before 2000 for the UK and 2001 for sub-national areas are not completely comparable with later years. (2 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. (3 )UK figures include deaths of non-residents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in England and Wales. (4 )UK figures for 2005 include figures for Northern Ireland which are provisional. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer( 1)  for the UK, North East GOR, South Tyneside CD and Jarrow PC, 1996-2004 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Males  
			 UK 240 263 304 311 239 294 292 341 __ 
			 North East GOR 6 11 10 13 10 16 17 15 14 
			 South Tyneside CD 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 
			 Jarrow PC 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			   
			  Females  
			 UK 36,574 37,751 39,338 41,056 40,618 40,982 41,258 43,711 __ 
			 North East GOR 1,536 1,539 1,681 1,666 1,663 1,715 1,696 1,892 1,960 
			 South Tyneside CD 103 102 95 106 118 101 101 129 116 
			 Jarrow PC 54 59 43 68 60 53 61 71 57 
			 (1 )Breast cancer is defined as code C50 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10).  Note: Figures for North East GOR for the years 2000-2003 are available in Table 4 of the Annual Reference Volume, Cancer statistics: Registrations, Series MB1.  Source: Office for National Statistics, Welsh Cancer Intelligence  Surveillance Unit, Scottish Cancer Registry ISD and Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.

Child Trust Fund

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations the Government have made to Child Trust Fund operators requesting that they provide ethical investment options.

Edward Balls: The Child Trust Fund has been specifically designed to allow ethical investments. Details of the providers offering ethical investment options are available in the Child Trust Fund information booklet. The choice of provider is a decision for each individual.

Child Trust Fund

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Chorley have taken out child trust funds; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) on 30 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 226-27W.

European Private Equity

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the report of the European Commission's alternative investment expert group on developing European private equity.

Edward Balls: The report makes a contribution to the review of the framework for fund management in Europe. The Treasury and the Financial Services Authority have considered it in consultation with industry representatives.
	A copy of the response sent by the UK authorities to the European Commission has been deposited in the Library of the House.

HMRC Call Centres

John Hemming: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs has implemented the informative message to stop silent calls in its call centres.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 30 October 2006
	HM Revenue and Customs is currently undertaking work to upgrade the outgoing telephony systems in its contact centres and expects to have the technical ability to play such recorded messages fully in place from March 2007. In the interim, arrangements are in place to ensure that the contact centre telephone number is always displayed therefore anyone missing a call would have the option of calling the number back.

Immigration

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of all UK workers were migrant workers in each reporting period since 1992-93, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 31 October 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the percentage of employed people in the United Kingdom who were migrant workers, by region, since 1992. (96623)
	The attached table gives the percentage of employed people of working age in each region of residence who were either United Kingdom or foreign born, for the three month period ending June, for each year since 1997. Comparable estimates are not available for 1998 and 2000, and for earlier periods.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Percentage( 1)  of people in employment of working age( 2)  who were born in the United Kingdom or were born abroad, by region of residence, 1997 to 2006, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Three months ending June each year  United Kingdom  North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  Eastern 
			  1997
			 Born in UK 92.5 97.3 95.9 95.6 94.4 93.8 93.6 
			 Born abroad 7.5 2.7 4.1 4.4 5.6 6.2 6.4 
			 
			  1999
			 Born in UK 92.3 97.8 96.0 95.5 94.2 93.7 93.4 
			 Born abroad 7.7 2.2 4.0 4.5 5.8 6.3 6.6 
			 
			  2001
			 Born in UK 91.8 97.0 96.1 95.5 94.7 94.1 92.7 
			 Born abroad 8.2 3.0 3.9 4.5 5.3 5.9 7.3 
			 
			  2002
			 Born in UK 91.4 96.9 96.1 95.3 94.2 93.7 92.7 
			 Born abroad 8.6 3.1 3.9 4.7 5.8 6.3 7.3 
			 
			  2003
			 Born in UK 90.9 97.5 95.9 94.3 94.5 93.2 92.5 
			 Born abroad 9.1 2.5 4.1 5.7 5.5 6.8 7.5 
			 
			  2004
			 Born in UK 90.6 96.1 95.8 94.6 93.7 92.7 91.8 
			 Born abroad 9.4 3.9 4.2 5.4 6.3 7.3 8.2 
			 
			  2005
			 Born in UK 90.1 96.1 94.7 93.5 93.1 93.7 91.1 
			 Born abroad 9.9 3.9 5.3 6.5 6.9 6.3 8.9 
			 
			  2006
			 Born in UK 88.9 96.3 93.9 93.4 91.6 91.5 89.4 
			 Born abroad 11.1 3.7 6.1 6.6 8.4 8.5 10.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Three months ending June each year  London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			  1997   
			 Born in UK 74.7 92.7 95.5 96.7 97.2 96.9 
			 Born abroad 25.3 7.3 4.5 3.3 2.8 3.1 
			
			  1999   
			 Born in UK 74.2 92.7 95.4 97.1 96.4 96.5 
			 Born abroad 25.8 7.3 4.6 2.9 3.6 3.5 
			
			  2001   
			 Born in UK 71.6 92.0 95.2 96.4 96.8 96.3 
			 Born abroad 28.4 8.0 4.8 3.6 3.2 3.7 
			
			  2002   
			 Born in UK 70.1 91.6 94.0 96.7 96.3 96.5 
			 Born abroad 29.9 8.4 6.0 3.3 3.7 3.5 
			
			  2003   
			 Born in UK 68.2 90.7 93.7 95.5 96.2 96.5 
			 Born abroad 31.8 9.3 6.3 4.5 3.8 3.5 
			
			  2004   
			 Born in UK 67.3 91.0 94.4 95.9 96.1 95.1 
			 Born abroad 32.7 9.0 5.6 4.1 3.9 4.9 
			
			  2005   
			 Born in UK 66.3 90.6 93.9 95.8 95.5 95.4 
			 Born abroad 33.7 9.4 6.1 4.2 4.5 4.6 
			
			  2006   
			 Born in UK 65.0 88.6 93.0 96.2 95.0 94.2 
			 Born abroad 35.0 11.4 7.0 3.8 5.0 5.8 
			 (1) Those who did not state their country of birth are excluded from totals.  (2) Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59.  Note: Comparable data not available for 1998 and 2000.   Source:  ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS).

IT Projects

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 283W, on information technology projects, what the reasons were for the time taken to implement the Government Actuary's Department's BS7799 compliance IT project; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government Actuary's Department BS7799 compliance IT project was impacted upon by the department vacating its then offices.
	It is expected that BS7799 accreditation will be in place in the next few months.

Personal Debt

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies he has commissioned into the implications of the rise in the level of personal debt.

John Healey: HM Treasury continually monitors the levels of both household liabilities and assets, and the implications of these for the wider economy are examined as part of the pre-Budget report and Budget forecasting process.

Planning Gain Supplement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the threshold will be for exemption from the Planning Gain Supplement; and whether this will be based on  (a) area and  (b) value of development;
	(2)  whether there will be exemptions to the Planning Supplement for  (a) renewable energy and  (b) other classes of development.

John Healey: The Government published a consultation paper on the proposed Planning Gain Supplement in the 2005 pre-Budget report. This included details on the scope of PGS, including proposals for minimum thresholds and exemptions. Further announcements on PGS will be made by the end of the year.

Planning Gain Supplement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how Planning Gain Supplement levies will be  (a) collected and  (b) distributed; and which agencies will be eligible to receive money to spend on infrastructure;
	(2)  what guidance will be issued to relevant authorities on what investment can be paid for by the levies raised by the Planning Gain Supplement.

John Healey: The Government published a consultation paper on the proposed Planning Gain Supplement in the 2005 pre-Budget report. This included a chapter on the allocation of PGS revenues; further to this the Government stated at Budget 2006 that it will ensure that a significant majority of PGS revenues are retained for infrastructure priorities within the local authority area where the revenues derived. The remainder would be dedicated to strategic infrastructure of regional importance.
	Further announcements on PGS's implementation will be made by the end of the year.

Planning Gain Supplement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings have been held between his Department and Scottish Executive officials to discuss the proposals for a Planning Gain Supplement.

John Healey: The consultation document published alongside the 2005 pre-Budget report indicated that if introduced, a Planning Gain Supplement (PGS) would apply throughout the UK. The Government continue to work closely with the Scottish Executive on the interaction of PGS with devolved policy areas. Further announcements on PGS will be made by the end of the year.

Public Sector Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what annual savings in Government spending are anticipated in each year from 2006-07 to 2050-51 as a result of the recent reforms to public sector pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The agreement at the Public Services Forum on 18 October 2005 concerned the principles for reforming civil service, NHS and teachers pensions. There is no breakdown of the savings year-by-year that would result from that PSF agreement, but the overall savings were estimated to have a net present value of around 13 billion over the next 50 years. The reforms have still to be finalised but, on the basis of the proposals that have been made, savings at least as great as those assumed at the time of the PSF agreement should be achieved. Separately, pension arrangements for the armed forces, police and firefighters have been reformed, and there is currently consultation on reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Road Tax

David Evennett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have applied for the new zero-rate road tax for environmentally-friendly cars.

John Healey: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) administers the collection of vehicle excise duty (VED).
	The zero VED rate for cars with the very lowest carbon emissions, (which applies to all band A cars registered on, or after, 1 March 2001), was introduced in Budget 2006 to encourage take-up and assist the development of the low carbon market.
	There are currently 386 vehicles licensed as dutiable under the zero rate. However, it is not possible to extract the number of license renewals since the zero rate was introduced on 23 March this year.

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date each special adviser employed by his Department took up his post.

John Healey: Spencer Livermore, Damian McBride and Jonathan Ashworth were reappointed as special advisers on 10 May 2005, following the general election, as set out in Treasury press notice PN 46/05 of the same day. Jo Dipple took up post in June 2006.

Tax Credits

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps  (a) to investigate the case of Mrs. Hughes of Brixham, a constituent of the hon. Member for Totnes, and  (b) to ensure that she ceases to receive unsolicited cheques for tax credit to which she is not entitled.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 30 October 2006
	I have asked HM Revenue and Customs to urgently investigate Mrs. Hughes's case and to ensure that no further payments are made to her until her continuing entitlement to tax credits has been confirmed.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit claims have been stopped because of fraud or suspicion of fraud in each month since May 2006; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many tax credit claims in payment have been stopped since 1st July due to fraud and suspicion of fraud.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on compliance interventions for 2005-06 can be found in the Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on HMRC's 2005-06 Accounts. Information on tax credit compliance interventions for 2006-07 will be available at the end of the year.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of appeals against tax credit overpayments were successful in each  (a) month,  (b) quarter and  (c) year since April 2003;
	(2)  how many tax credit overpayments were (a) disputed and (b) successfully disputed in each (i) month since 1st May 2006 and (ii) year since 2003-04; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers I gave him on 14 July 2006,  Official Report, column 2116W, and 18 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 359-60W and to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Mr. Alexander) on 10 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 730-31W.
	The Tax Credit Office (TCO) received around 31,500 disputed overpayments in September 2006.
	The number of overpayments where the overpayment was successfully disputed, that is, where the overpayment was written off in full or in part by the TCO because of official error, was around 1,000 in September 2006.
	The figures for overpayments written off do not directly relate to those disputes that were received in the same month.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of advertising and publicity relating to tax credits has been for each year since 2003-04.

Dawn Primarolo: Total media spend, exclusive of VAT, in each year is as follows:
	
		
			million 
			 2003-04 7.25 
			 2004-05 6.5 
			 2005-06 3.4

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of fraud involving the child care element of tax credits; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of fraud and error involving child care costs were included in the document Child and Working Tax Credits Error and fraud statistics 2003-04 available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/stats.htm

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the methods used to steal  (a) Department of Work and Pensions and  (b) Network Rail staff identities in 2005-06 to use in relation to tax credit fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 18 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 1357-58W, and to the HMRC publication Tackling error and fraud in the Child and Working Tax Credits, available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total volume of  (a) actual and  (b) prevented organised tax credit fraud since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 17 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 161-62W.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has assessed the merits of returning to a system of fixed tax credit awards; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 5.23 of the pre-Budget report 2005.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many staff work on tax benefits administration; and how many did so in April 2006;
	(2)  how many staff were employed by HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessor bodies in each year since 2000-01; how many of these staff worked wholly or partly on tax credits; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 19 July 2005,  Official Report, column 1699W.
	The number of staff employed in 2005-06 can be found at part 2, figure 1, of the Comptroller and Auditor General's standard report for 2005-06 which is available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/chronindex.asp?type=account.
	Around 8,750 staff were employed in 2005-06.
	Overall staffing figures for earlier years for the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise can be found in their annual reports.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated level is of systematic tax credit fraud in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available. The 2006-07 random enquiry programme cannot start until after finalisation. Results of the 2003-04 random enquiry programme can be found in Child and Working Tax Credits Error and Fraud Statistics 2003-04, available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/index.htm.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of tax credit administration in 2005-06, broken down by main cost headings.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1950W.

Tax Credits

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many overpayments of  (a) working tax credit and  (b) child tax credit were found to be a result of HM Revenue and Customs error in 2005-06.

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit overpayments have involved an element of official error since 1 April 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available.
	Estimates of numbers and values of overpayments or underpayments for 2005-06 awards will not be available until family circumstances and incomes for 2005-06 have been finalised. HM Revenue and Customs statistics for 2005-06 will be available next spring.
	Amounts written off due to official error will be included in the remissions figure in HMRCs accounts.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what procedures  (a) HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) the Department have in place for the approval of easements to tax credit verification rules; how these have changed since 2002; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether approval is needed from  (a) the Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs and  (b) Treasury Ministers for easement of the tax credit verification rules.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC has operational responsibility for the administration of tax credits. The HMRC governance structure was set out in their spring departmental report, published in June 2006.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many callers to the tax credits helpline received an engaged tone and were not placed in a queue for each month since June; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

VAT (Church Buildings)

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with other EU countries about extending VAT relief to church buildings which are not listed;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of extending VAT relief to church buildings which are not listed.

Dawn Primarolo: European agreements governing the application of VAT reliefs mean that while the UK can retain its existing VAT zero rates, such as those for approved works of alteration to certain listed buildings, we cannot extend them or introduce new ones. It is therefore not possible to zero-rate alteration or repair work carried out to unlisted church buildings. Furthermore, the same agreements do not allow for the application of reduced rates in this area.
	The Government recognise that listed places of worship are not just an essential part of our religious life but an important part of the history and fabric of our country, and that the need to use specialist craftsmen and costly materials means their upkeep can be a heavy burden, particularly on small congregations. That is why the Government have pressed the case at EU level for their repair and maintenance to be added to the supplies for which a reduced rate of VAT is available. However, while we recognise the importance of all places of worship within their communities, we also recognise that listed status means that the special architectural or historic interest in the church in question has been acknowledged and as such special tax treatment is justified on this basis.

VAT Fraud

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the upper and lower levels of missing trader VAT fraud in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Annual estimates of attempted MTIC fraud from 2000-01 to 2004-05 were published alongside PBR 2005 in Measuring Indirect Tax Losses  2005, which is available from the House of Commons Library or from the following website: www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2005/mitl2005.pdf.
	The first estimates of attempted MTIC fraud were made for 1999-2000, and can be found in Measuring and Tackling Indirect Tax Losses2004, which is also available from the House of Commons Library. The estimate for 2005-06 will be published at PBR 2006.

Welsh Demographics

Hywel Francis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what percentage of the population of  (a) Wales,  (b) the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot and  (c) the constituency of Aberavon is over the age of 65 years;
	(2)  what percentage of the population of  (a) Wales,  (b) the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot and  (c) the constituency of Aberavon is a carer.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 31 October 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking what percentage of the population of (a) Wales, (b) the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot and (c) the constituency of Aberavon are (i) over the age of 65 years and (ii) carers (97979  97980)
	(i) The latest available population estimates for Wales and Neath Port Talbot are the mid-2005 population estimates. These show that around 18% of the population in both Wales and Neath Port Talbut Unitary Authority were aged 65 years and over. Population Estimates, other than from the 2001 Census, are not normally available for parliamentary constituencies. However, for Aberavon it is possible to estimate the population based on the mid-2004 Experimental Small Area Population Estimates released on 27 October 2006, which show that approximately 19% of the population are aged 65 years and over.
	(ii) Figures for numbers of carers at local level are only available from the census. On Census day (29 April 2001) 12% of people in Wales were providing unpaid care, compared with 14% of people in both the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot, and the Parliamentary Constituency of Aberavon. The figures for both Wales and the County Borough of Neath Port Talbot have been taken from table KS08 in  Census 2001 Key Statistics for Local Authorities in England and Wales. The figure for Aberavon has been taken from table KS08 in the  2001 Census Report for Parliamentary Constituencies.

World Bank/IMF

Tom Clarke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total annual remuneration of  (a) the President of the World Bank and  (b) the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was as at July 2006.

Edward Balls: The total annual remuneration of both the president of the World Bank and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund was $461,510 (243,215(1)) as of 1 July 2005.
	Consistent with established practice, in June 2006 an increase to the remuneration was proposed in line with movement in the Washington metropolitan area consumer price index (May 2005 to May 2006). This would mean an increase of 4.2 per cent. with effect from 1 July 2006 to around $480,890 (253,429(1)).
	(1) Dollar-Sterling spot market rate at close 27 October 2006

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Branding

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department has ordered branded  (a) stationery and  (b) other items.

John Prescott: A sign has been procured for the main entrance to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and business cards have been ordered for those staff who require them. No other branded items have been ordered. Other stationery from the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is continuing to be used.

Gifts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions he has consulted the permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office regarding the offer of gifts to members of other governments or governmental organisations since becoming Deputy Prime Minister.

John Prescott: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and advice.

Mail (Private Companies)

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of his Office's mail is shipped using private companies; and what the cost was over the last 12 months.

John Prescott: Since the formation of the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in May 2006, no private companies have been used to ship external mail.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

John Prescott: During 2005 and 2006, I have visited Scotland twice and Wales on one occasion in a ministerial capacity.

Ministerial Visits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what  (a) hospitality and  (b) gifts he received in relation to his visit to the MIPIM Property Development Conference in Cannes last year.

John Prescott: None.

Redhill Aerodrome Ventures

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with representatives of Redhill Aerodrome Ventures in the last five years.

John Prescott: holding answer 18 September 2006
	None.

DEFENCE

Not to Exceed Dates

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the not to exceed in-service date at main gate was for  (a) Defence Information Infrastructure (Head Office),  (b) Defence Information Infrastructure (Fleet Service),  (c) Catterick Garrison SDR Project-Gaza/Megiddo Lines,  (d) DLO BCP Defence Electronic Commerce Service-E-Catelogues,  (e) Logistics Information Technology System-Delamination for DII/F,  (f) Defence Estaters Regional Prime Contracting-South West,  (g) Colchester Garrison,  (h) Joint Personnel Administration and  (i) Projects Allenby and Connaught; and what the 'not to exceed' cost at main gate was for the demonstration and manufacture phase of each project, broken into (i) indirect resoure Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), (ii) direct resource DEL and (iii) capital DEL.

Adam Ingram: The term not to exceed was not used during the approvals process for the majority of the projects as they predated the use of this concept. The values and dates used in the following table are those approved at Main Gate.
	Similarly, not all of the projects broke the cost down into Indirect RDEL, Direct RDEL and Capital DEL. The table therefore reflects the values approved in the relevant Main Gate, many of which are for service based contracts, not a demonstration and manufacture phase.
	
		
			Approved cost ( million) 
			  Project name  Approved in service date  Indirect RDEL  Direct RDEL  Capital DEL 
			 Defence Information Infrastructure (Head Office) May 2004 (First User Live)  92 48 
			  
			 Defence Information Infrastructure (Fleet First) June 2004  15 7.9 
			  
			 Catterick Garrison SDK Project GAZA-MEGIDDO Not Approved at Main Gate 
			  
			 DLO BCP Defence Electronic Commerce Service-E-catalogues No ISO Approval within case 4.973 6.115 5.433 
			  
			 Logistics Information Technology System-Delamination for DII/F March 2005 (project delivery date) 13.131 10.642 
			  
			 Defence Estates Regional Prime Contracting-South West June 2005 (core services element)  492.6 25.94 
			  
			 Colchester Garrison PFI No ISO Approval within case 1,025.5 
			
			 Joint Personnel Administration March 2006 (RAF) 108.6 (Manufacture and Migration Cost) 
			  June 2006 (RN)  
			  November 2006 (Army)  
			 
			 Project Allenby-Connaught PFI May 2006 7727 595

Agency Trading Accounts

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of the Memorandum Trading Accounts for the  (a) Defence Transport and Movements Agency,  (b) Defence Vetting Agency,  (c) Disposal Service Agency,  (d) Duke of York's Royal Military School,  (e) Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency,  (f) Naval Recruiting and Training Agency,  (g) Pay and Personnel Agency,  (h) RAF Training Group Defence Agency,  (i) Service Children's Education,  (j) Veterans Agency,  (k) Medical Supply Agency,  (l) Queen Victoria School and  (m) Warships Support Agency for each of the last two financial years;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of the 2004-05 Memorandum Trading Accounts for the  (a) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency,  (b) Army Training and Recruitment Agency,  (c) British Forces Post Office,  (d) Defence Analytical Services Agency,  (e) Defence Bills Agency,  (f) Defence Communications Services Agency,  (g) Defence Dental Agency,  (h) Defence Estates,  (i) Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency,  (j) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre,  (k) Defence Medical Education Training Agency,  (l) Defence Procurement Agency and  (m) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library copies of the 2005-06 Memorandum Trading Accounts for the  (a) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency,  (b) Army Training and Recruiting Agency,  (c) British Forces Post Office,  (d) Defence Analytical Services Agency,  (e) Defence Bills Agency,  (f) Defence Communications Services Agency,  (g) Defence Estates,  (h) Defence Medical Education Training Agency,  (i) Defence Procurement Agency and  (j) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency.

Adam Ingram: MOD agencies do not currently produce Memorandum Trading Accounts.

Aircraft Carriers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the expected date of commission is of the future aircraft carriers; and what tonnage they will be.

Adam Ingram: The projected programme dates, including commissioning and in-service dates, for the future aircraft carriers will only be set following the main investment decision and once they have been approved by Ministers. This decision has not yet been taken, and will only be taken when we know with confidence the risks, the costs and the associated contractual framework involved in building the carriers. The current design of the carriers assumes a start of life displacement of some 65,000 tonnes.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what animals are being used in experiments at the Alverstoke Institute, Gosport; for what purposes they are being used; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The only animals used for research purposes at the Alverstoke site are goats. QinetiQ Alverstoke uses the animals as part of a research programme that advises on safe procedures and treatments for submariners escaping from a disabled submarine.

Chaplains

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the number of chaplains in each of the Armed Forces.

Derek Twigg: The Royal Navy currently has 70(1) chaplains and is seeking to recruit up to its establishment of 75(1) chaplains. A review of the Royal Navy chaplaincy service is currently taking place as part of the Navy Board Personnel Change Programme to ensure that the establishment, placement and training of chaplains matches the current, and anticipated, needs of the service.
	The Army currently has 145(1) chaplains and is seeking to recruit up to its establishment of 160(1) Chaplains.
	The RAF currently has 70(1) chaplains and is seeking to recruit up to its establishment of 75(1) chaplains.
	In addition to serving service chaplains the armed forces have four full time civilian chaplains to the military for the Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim faiths. There is also an honorary officiating chaplain to minister to those of the Jewish faith. There are no plans to change the number of these chaplains.
	(1 )All figures have been rounded to the nearest five

Defence Estates

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on co-operation with regional development agencies when surplus Defence Estates property is being disposed of; what assessment he has made of the implications for employment and regeneration of such disposals; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 October 2006
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is required to obtain market value when disposing of surplus assets. However, this Department places all surplus land on English Partnership's Register of Surplus Public Sector Assets to allow other Government Departments and agencies to express an interest, including regional development agencies. The MOD works closely with English Partnerships, regional development agencies, local authorities and other key stakeholders when considering its disposal strategy. This will normally include an assessment of development and regeneration opportunities through preparation of a planning brief which can be taken forward by prospective purchasers.

Defence Estates

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment Defence Estates makes of local economic development priorities when disposing of surplus property.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 October 2006
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is required to obtain market value when disposing of surplus assets. Defence Estatesthe MOD agency with responsibility for the defence estateworks closely, however, with all interested parties to seek the best possible future use for the site. It is our normal practice to work with local planning authorities in disposing of sites and discussions of local economic development priorities should take place as part of that process, including with other Government agencies and Departments on a case by case basis.

Defence Vetting Agency

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff from the Defence Vetting Agency have been contracted to the Office for Nuclear Security since 2005; and for how long each has been contracted.

Derek Twigg: None.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by his Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Derek Twigg: Expenditure on food and alcohol consumed by staff working on detached duty is not distinguished separately from the associated expenditure on travel and accommodation and could be provided at disproportionate cost only. The conduct of civilian staff on detached duty is guided by principles set out in the Civil Service Code of Conduct and in Government Accounting. The MOD Civilian Travel Manual emphasises the need to exercise economy and observe the highest standards of financial propriety.

Departmental Lawyers

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006, on departmental lawyers, if he will break down by main area of law the cost of departmental lawyers in each of the last 10 years.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Redundancies

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies there were in his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of such redundancies was in each year; how many temporary staff were employed in each year; and how many staff were seconded by outside organisations to posts within his Department in each year.

Derek Twigg: Available information is shown in the following table. Information on redundancies for civilian staff prior to 1999-2000 is not available.
	
		
			   Civilian redundancies  Service personnel redundancies  Average number of casual civilian staff  Number of civilian staff seconded into Department 
			 1997-98 (1) 10 2,930 1,180 
			 1998-99 (1) (2) 2,250 1,370 
			 1999-2000 1,560 (2) 2,050 1,880 
			 2000-01 1,220 (2) 1,760 230 
			 2001-02 840 (2) 1,750 300 
			 2002-03 710 (2) 1,800 380 
			 2003-04 1,580 (2) 900 550 
			 2004-05 890 (2) 1,370 580 
			 2005-06 1,620 530 1,370 390 
			 (1) Data not available.  (2) Zero or rounded to zero.   Notes:  1. Data on costs of redundancies are not held centrally.  2. This table uses the revised definition of civilian personnel (www.dasa.mod.uk).  3. None of the above information is available for Royal Fleet Auxiliary or locally engaged civilian staff.  4. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.  5. Casual staff and secondments do not apply to service personnel.

Energy Consumption

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps have been taken to address energy waste through lack of insulation in departmental properties.

Derek Twigg: It is the policy of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to comply fully with the Building Regulations. This includes the requirement to reduce energy use and carbon dioxide emissions for buildings also covered by part L2 Conservation of Fuel and power for England and Wales which came into force in April 2006. Accordingly, the MOD is adopting a range of policies to improve the whole-life efficiency, energy use, and sustainability of its built estate.
	Measures include improved air tightness, higher thermal mass, care in sizing, positioning and detailing windows, orientation of buildings and the use of sustainable building materials and construction techniques. These measures are reflected in new and refurbished buildings which are better designed and more energy efficient; and in efforts to monitor and improve the way that defence personnel use energy in buildings that they occupy.

Environmental Policies

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recycling facilities are provided to army barracks and bases  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas for the use of (i) armed forces' personnel, (ii) catering staff and (iii) civilian personnel.

Derek Twigg: Where possible, both in the UK and overseas, a range of recycling facilities are provided to army barracks and bases for use by armed forces and civilian personnel. Continental bins, closed box skips and large skips may be provided to facilitate the segregation and recycling of waste material. Where possible paper, glass, cardboard, wood, scrap metal and tyre waste is recycled.
	In the UK and overseas the provision of catering services is outsourced to various commercial catering companies who in most cases take responsibility for the recycling and disposal of their own waste products. This is in line with contract requirements that state that the contractor shall manage waste in accordance with UK waste management legislation and departmental policy to reduce, re-use and recycle.

Eurofighter Typhoon

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timescale is for the delivery of Typhoons to the Royal Air Force squadrons following the successful bid by BAE Systems for the supply of Eurofighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

Adam Ingram: The negotiations on the supply of Eurofighter-Typhoon aircraft to Saudi Arabia have yet to be concluded. The final Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft will be delivered to the Royal Air Force in September 2007. Tranche 2 aircraft deliveries commence in 2008 and will continue until 2013-14.

Health and Safety at Work (Prosecutions)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prosecutions for offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 have been taken against his Department's personnel since 1976; how many prosecutions were successful in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage this represents of total prosecutions of his Department for such offences in this period.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence is only aware of two such prosecutions over the past five years, one of which was successful. Beyond that the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will consider allowing ex-military personnel to occupy empty homes on military bases in the UK.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 25 October 2006
	Other than properties which are vacant pending families moving in, for work to be done or for administrative purposes, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not retain unused dwellings. The MOD sold the vast majority of service family accommodation (SFA) in England and Wales to Annington Homes Limited (AHL) in November 1996, with the arrangement that the Department would lease-back from them the accommodation we needed to house service families. When properties are no longer required, they are returned to AHL for them to dispose of as they see fit.
	In order to help with adjusting to civilian life or for the purpose of house-hunting, recently retired or redundant service personnel may apply in accordance with Tri-Service Accommodation Regulations (Joint Service Publication 464) for surplus SFA located outside secured areas for a maximum period of six months on payment of the market rate for such accommodation.

Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to make service families accommodation regulations consistent with regulations for civilian property.

Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Medical Services

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel are on waiting lists for treatment at NHS hospitals.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 17 October 2006
	Service personnel who return with serious injuries from operational theatres are treated immediately. In addition, the MOD pays NHS Trusts to expedite elective secondary-care treatment ahead of typical NHS time scales where there is an operational benefit.
	On average, about 4,200 personnel across all three services will be in the process of being seen as either an in-patient or out-patient in the NHS Trusts which host Ministry of Defence Hospital Units, the majority of whom remain employed during this process. A small number of military personnel will receive treatment at other NHS hospitals, but this information is not held centrally and could only be obtained by examining all individual medical records.
	The MOD runs its own rehabilitation units (for military patients with a range of musculo-skeletal conditions) and community-based psychiatric facilities, and has a contract with the Priory Group for the provision of in-patient psychiatric treatment. Such patients will therefore not need treatment in NHS facilities.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where departments of community mental health are located; what services they provide; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The MOD has 15 Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) in the UK at the following locations:
	Kinloss (Inverness)
	Leuchars (Edinburgh)
	Faslane
	Aldershot
	Brize Norton
	Catterick
	Colchester
	Cranwell
	Marham
	Plymouth
	Portsmouth
	Tidworth
	West Midlands (Donnington)
	Woolwich
	Lisburn (Northern Ireland)
	We also have satellite centres at the following overseas locations:
	GermanyCommunity Health Teams (CHT) at:
	Wegberg (including in-patient facility)
	Paderborn
	Gutersloh
	Osnabruck
	Hohne
	Gibraltar (CHT)
	Cyprus (CHT)
	DCMH teams comprise Psychiatrists and Mental Health Nurses, with access to Clinical Psychologists and mental health social workers. The aim is to see referred individuals at their unit medical centre and, with the patient's permission, to engage with GPs and the patient's chain of command to help manage any mental health problems identified. The full range of psychiatric and psychological treatments are available including medication, psychological therapies and environmental adjustment where appropriate, provided by 25 Consultant Psychiatrists and around 120 Registered Mental Health Nurses working in the Defence Medical Services. For PTSD our treatment meets the standards set by the independent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Middle East

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which UK  (a) air and maritime assets and  (b) other military facilities are being used in support of UN operations in the Lebanon;
	(2)  whether the UK plans to provide any further support to the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 26 October 2006
	The UK provided HMS York to a UN-sponsored temporary maritime task force in early September. This task force was replaced by a follow-on force under UNIFIL command on 15 October; we do not plan to provide any further maritime support. We have offered to provide support in other areas, including use of our sovereign base areas on Cyprus, and provision of a naval logistician to assist the UN. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the UK pays a premium contribution to the costs of UN operations.

Military Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the  (a) actual and  (b) establishment figures are for each regiment of the British regular infantry;
	(2)  what the  (a) current and  (b) establishment infantry manning levels are, broken down by (i) division and (ii) battalion.

Derek Twigg: Establishment figures for the Infantry are not generally compiled in terms of regiment (the description of the organisation beyond a single cap badge). The following table shows the currently recorded strengths and establishments of the Infantry by battalion, the fighting unit, and Infantry Division but does not include those members of the regiment serving outside the battalion.
	
		
			  Infantry trained strength and establishment of the regular Army and full time reserve service (FTRS) by battalion as at 1 August 2006 
			  Battalion ( 1) Strength  Establishment 
			  Footguards 2,540 2,920 
			 1 Grenadier Guards 540 570 
			 1 Coldstream Guards 540 570 
			 1 Scots Guards 470 640 
			 1 Irish Guards 490 570 
			 1 Welsh Guards 500 570 
			
			  Scots Div (1)2,790 2,930 
			 1 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)700 570 
			 2 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)500 570 
			 3 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)560 570 
			 4 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)550 640 
			 5 Royal Regiment of Scotland (1)480 590 
			
			  Queen's Div 3,140 3,560 
			 1 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 490 640 
			 2 Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 520 570 
			 1 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 550 640 
			 2 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 480 570 
			 1 Royal Anglian Regiment 580 600 
			 2 Royal Anglian Regiment 530 560 
			
			  King's Div (1)2,960 3,500 
			 1 Yorkshire Regiment (1)510 570 
			 2 Yorkshire Regiment (1)470 570 
			 3 Yorkshire Regiment (1)510 600 
			 1 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1)500 590 
			 2 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1)590 620 
			 3 Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1)400 560 
			
			  Prince of Wales Div (1)2,360 2,970 
			 1 Cheshire Regiment (1)460 570 
			 1 Royal Welsh Regiment (1)460 570 
			 2 Royal Welsh Regiment (1)470 640 
			 1 Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (1)490 560 
			 1 Staffordshire Regiment (1)480 640 
			
			  Light Div (1)3,060 3,510 
			 1 Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, Light Infantry (1)490 590 
			 1 Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment, Light Infantry (1)450 560 
			 1 Light Infantry (1)570 640 
			 2 Light Infantry (1)520 570 
			 1 Royal Green Jackets (1)490 570 
			 2 Royal Green Jackets (1)530 600 
			
			  Para 1,460 1,760 
			 1 Parachute Regiment 460 580 
			 2 Parachute Regiment 480 590 
			 3 Parachute Regiment 520 590 
			 1 Royal Irish Regiment 450 590 
			 1 Royal Ghurkha Regiment 20 20 
			 2 Royal Ghurkha Regiment 20 20 
			 (1) provisional, as some records are currently being updated to reflect recent and planned divisional and regimental Infantry changes.  Notes: 1. The establishment figures refer to the number of posts within a battalion that may be filled by Infantry personnel (officers and soldiers). Therefore, it excludes posts that are filled by attached personnel of other Arms and Services such as chefs, clerks, etc. Establishments will also vary depending on the particular role of a battalion; for example, Armoured Infantry battalions have larger establishments than light role Infantry battalions. 2. Strength figures include members of the Regiment serving with the battalion i.e. 2 Parachute Regiment (2 Para) includes Para personnel posted to 2 Para, it does not include other Infantry serving with the 2 Para or Para personnel posted away from the regiment. Strength figures also exclude attached Arm/Services.  3. The Guards Division strengths and establishments exclude the Public Duty Companies.  4. Figures are for trained Infantry Officers and Soldiers and include Infantry Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel serving with the battalions. 5. Royal Ghurkha Regiment figures are for the Regular Army Officers (UK Personnel) only and do not include the Ghurkhas. 6. Strength and Establishment figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals are rounded separately and therefore may not equal the sum of their parts.

Military Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles were purchased for Army use; on what date they were purchased; what the total purchase price was;  (a) by which formations,  (b) for what purposes and  (c) when the vehicles were used; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what modifications were made to the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles in order to enhance mine protection and the TMRP-6 threat; how many vehicles were modified; what the total cost was of those modifications while on the Army inventory; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what  (a) maintenance and  (b) other difficulties were experienced by Army formations in their use of the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles while on their charge; what steps were taken to resolve those difficulties; what outcomes resulted from those steps; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  when and to whom the inventory of OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine-protected vehicles was disposed of; how much was received; what the end destination of the vehicles was; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  if he will assess  (a) ease of maintenance and  (b) reliability of the (i) OMC/Alvis Mamba and (ii) current version of the RG-31M.

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the reasons are for replacing the Mamba vehicle with the mine-protected vehicle; and what the estimated cost is.

Adam Ingram: Pursuant to the reply, 25 July 2006, Official Report, c. 1539-43W
	I stated that the 14 Mamba Mine Protected Vehicles were disposed of in 2004 for a total of 44,000, this was incorrect. The actual total was 448,000.

Military Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Snatch One, Two and Three Land Rovers are in Iraq and Afghanistan; and how many of each are operational.

Adam Ingram: For UK holdings, I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bournemouth, East (Mr. Ellwood) on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1230W. In respect of Iraq and Afghanistan I am withholding details of the military capability deployed on operations since its disclosure would reveal the strength and capability of UK forces operating in theatre, and could have a bearing on operational security.

Military Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the first batch of Panther vehicles is expected to be deployed; which type of vehicle they will replace; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: On current plans the in service date for Panther is November 2007; the deployment of this vehicle on operations will then depend on judgments by the permanent joint headquarters.
	Panther will replace a variety of vehicles operating in the command and liaison role including CVR(T) Spartan, Landrover, Saxon, FV432 and FV436 vehicles. I refer the hon. Lady to the answers I gave on 3 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1263W, and 14 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 2041-42W.

Military Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the development of the replacements for the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine protected vehicles became Project Tempest; and when and to whom the main development and construction contracts were awarded for the Truck, Mine Protected Vehicle;
	(2)  when the decision was made to purchase replacements for the OMC/Alvis Mamba/RG-31 mine protected vehicle; what the original performance specifications for the replacement vehicle were; and on what grounds these were decided;
	(3)  how many Truck, Mine Protected Vehicles were purchased by his Department; and what the total cost of the vehicles supplied was when they were taken on charge;
	(4)  what the total cost of Project Tempest was, excluding the acquisition costs of the Truck, Mine Protected Vehicle;
	(5)  where Truck, Mine Protected Vehicles have been deployed since they have been taken on charge; for what periods and with what formations; where they are now deployed; and how many are currently still on charge and in active service;
	(6)  whether any aspects of the technology and design of the Project Tempest Truck, Mine Protected Vehicles were classified;
	(7)  in whom the intellectual property of Project Tempest was vested; and what agreements were made by his Department to recover  (a) fees and  (b) other income from subsequent use of the design and technology employed in the project.

Adam Ingram: Reliability and safety problems with the previous Mine Protected Vehicle (MPV), Mamba, led the Department to consider refurbishment and modification of Mamba or its replacement. Replacement through a competitive Urgent Operational Requirement was chosen as the best option with bids assessed against the user's requirements of survivability (predominantly against mines), mobility, fightability and supportability. In November 2001 the bid from Supacat of the Tempest vehicle, based on an early version of the Force Protection Inc Cougar, was selected. Tempest was the name of the vehicle not the programme, but it is no longer used and the vehicle is now known in UK service simply as the MPV.
	A 2.7 million contract for eight MPVs was awarded to Supacat shortly afterwards with Technical Solutions Group Inc. (a subsidiary of Force Protection Inc.) supplying the base vehicle. The MPVs are supported under a contractor logistic support arrangement with Supacat Ltd. I am unable to provide the cost of the contract as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.
	MPVs are used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams for specialist tasks such as EOD reconnaissance, rescue and recovery and route proving. MPVs were deployed to Bosnia from January to May 2004; and Iraq from July 2003 to November 2004. There are still eight MPVs in service including a number currently in Afghanistan.
	MPV was a commercial off the shelf equipment with some UK specific EOD modifications. Supacat Ltd. own the MPV intellectual property, although the MOD has free user rights for repair and maintenance. The majority of its specification is not classified but I am unable to comment on its detailed specifications and in particular its protection, as this would, or would be likely to prejudice the security of our armed forces.

Mines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the threat from sea mines since 1998; and what the results were.

Adam Ingram: As stated in Cm 6269, Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities, the reduced threat and changed requirement for large scale operations means that we can meet our operational and standing tasks with a fleet of 16 mine counter-measures vessels.

Minimum Wage

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) related agencies and non-departmental public bodies were affected by the increase in the minimum wage on 1 October.

Derek Twigg: Pending the outcome of negotiations on the main pay award for MOD civilian staff from 1 August, the salaries of 1,693 MOD staff in the most junior pay band were increased from 1 October to meet the rise in the national minimum wage.
	None of MOD's Trading Funds or non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) were affected by the rise.
	The armed forces are exempt from the provisions of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998.

Officers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many commissioned officers were  (a) female and  (b) non-white in 2006.

Derek Twigg: At 1 April 2006 there were 3,540 female and 710 recorded non-white commissioned officers in the UK Regular Forces. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Operational Bonus

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what impact the operational bonus announced on 11 October will have on the payment of the X factor to members of the armed forces in  (a) the 2006-07 financial year and  (b) future financial years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 16 October 2006
	The introduction of the operational bonus will have no impact on the payment of X factor in 2006-07. The value of X factor will remain at 13 per cent. of basic pay for regular service personnel up to the rank of lieutenant colonel and equivalent at the mid pay point, beyond which it tapers. X factor is regularly reviewed by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB). The next review is due in 2007-08. My Department will therefore be submitting a paper of evidence on X factor to the AFPRB in 2007 to inform the body's deliberations for its 2008 report.

Operational Bonus

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the cost of the new operational bonus from 2007-08 will be met from  (a) existing departmental budgets and  (b) additional funds.

Adam Ingram: The cost of the new operational bonus, to be called Operational Allowance, will not be met from existing departmental budgets, but from the Treasury Reserve.

Porton Down

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 41W, on Porton Down, why the number of  (a) mice used in procedures has increased since 2000 and  (b) non-human primates used in procedures has increased since 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The increase in the numbers of procedures involving both mice and non-human primates is directly related to the size and maturity of the on-going medical countermeasures research programme. Mice are used mainly in studies to identify and assess candidate pre-treatments and therapies against biological warfare agents.
	Non-human primates are involved in studies to develop advanced animal models for efficacy assessment of post exposure therapies for biological and chemical warfare agents, and studies to assess the visual effects resulting from exposure to very low levels of nerve agents.
	Recent products from the Defence research programme include a therapy to treat those suffering from botulism. This is now available to treat UK servicemen, should botulinum toxin ever be used as a weapon against them, and has already been used to treat patients in both UK and Thailand who were subject to naturally occurring cases.

Promotion

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) allowance is made in initial training and  (b) seniority in rank is granted for previous service when non-commissioned officers below the rank of warrant officer are selected for commissioned service in (i) the Royal Navy, (ii) the Royal Marines, (iii) the British Army and (iv) the Royal Air Force. [R]

Derek Twigg: In the Naval Service, there are two schemes for entering the officer corps from the ranks:
	The Upper Yardman/Corps Commission (UY/CC) schemes for RN ratings and RM other ranks respectively who are under the age of 26 (for engineersage 30) on the first day of the month that initial officer training begins.
	The Senior Upper Yardman/Senior Corps Commission (SUY/SCC) schemes for RN ratings and RM other ranks respectively who are over the age of 26 (for engineersage 30) and would have a minimum of four years to serve (until their retirement date) on the first day of the month that initial officer training is expected to begin.
	Individuals selected for the officer corps via the UY/CC schemes are treated in exactly the same way as individuals entering from outside the service and undertake the same initial training and are awarded the same rank and seniority on entry (currently based on age) as their civilian counterparts.
	Individuals selected for the officer corps via the SUY/SCC schemes undertake phase 1 training but thereafter receive bespoke training (where required) based on their experience and the nature of the post to which they are appointed. Given the greater relative experience of SUY/SCC officers over those selected by direct entry or via the UY/CC route, and in recognition of their likely employment (often as deep specialist officers), former ratings and other ranks (below the rank of Warrant Officer) gain a minimum one year's seniority advantage over their peers by passing out of phase 1 training as a Lieutenant RN or Captain RM.
	In the Army there are two categories of personnel commissioned from the ranks: Late Entry (LE) Officers and those soldiers who attend the full Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) Commissioning Course before the age of 29 and go on to be treated as Direct Entry (DE) Officers:
	Those who commission as LE Officers arrive on a level playing field as their civilian counterparts. They do exactly the same amount of training on commissioning and must attend the Late Entry Officer Course within their first year. There is then no difference in the speed with which they can be promoted up the rank structure.
	DE Officers from the Ranks attend the year long Commissioning Course at RMAS and will progress at different speeds depending on their reckonable service. They are allowed to carry forward half of their service in the ranks up to a maximum of four years. This allows those with more reckonable service to be promoted to Captain within 2.5 years of commissioning. This is on a par with graduate officers who can accumulate a maximum of 3.4 years reckonable service in recognition for their academic studies.
	In the RAF, non-commissioned personnel who are selected for commissioned service in the general branches are made no allowance in terms of their initial training. If, however, they are entering as a nurse, they undertake the shorter SERE (Specialist EntrantRe Entrant) course. This recognises their specialist skills and is tailored to the career pathways available to the specialist branches.
	Non-commissioned airmen/women are commissioned under the terms set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Former rank( 1,2)  Rank on graduation from IOT  Promotion to Flight Lieutenant after:( 3,4,5) 
			 Flight Sergeant/Chief Technician Flying Officer 1 year 
			 Sergeant Flying Officer 18 months 
			 Corporal Flying Officer 2 years 
			 Senior Aircraftsman/Junior Technician Flying Officer 2.5 years 
			 (1) All serving airmen and ex-non-commissioned personnel, except those commissioned as graduate entrants iaw para. 0221 will attend Initial Officer Training as Officer Cadets (OCs). Para. 0221 states that: candidates from civil life, serving officers and airmen who hold a qualification equivalent to a degree which is acceptable for graduate entry into one branch may also be eligible for graduate entry into other branches.  (2) Former rank also refers to Normal Paid Acting Rank.  (3) Serving and ex-non-commissioned personnel entering a ground branch who obtained a degree prior to initially joining the service will have the period of commissioned service they are required to complete before promotion to flight lieutenant reduced by six months.  (4) Excludes ex-serving nurses who, in recognition of their professional qualifications, will have their seniority assessed under the provisions of para 0387, which states that: In the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS), officers are awarded a time credit for full-time civil nursing experience in a recognized appointment after registration as a Registered General Nurse. Time credits are set against the normal time-promotion progression to assess rank and seniority on entry. Subject to a maximum total of six years they are awarded in accordance with the following scale: (a) The first two years in full. (b) Officers who possess a Registered Nurse Tutors Certificate on entry; the first three yearsin full. (c) Any later experiencein half.  (5) Or attaining the age of 24, whichever is the later.

RAF Machrihanish

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which public agencies the future of RAF Machrihanish has been discussed; what plans he has for RAF Machrihanish; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 20 October 2006
	Ministry of Defence officials have discussed the future of Machrihanish with representatives of the Scottish Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the local enterprise network and local authority. I hope soon to be in a position to make a formal announcement to the House on the way forward.

Retired Field Marshals

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what extent he draws on the experience and views of retired field marshals when considering defence policy.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence draws upon a wide variety of expertise and opinions in formulating Defence policy. The former Chiefs of Defence Staff are regularly briefed by the Chief of Defence Staff and have the opportunity to input their views on defence policy.

School Fees

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the payment of school fees for the children of staff employed in HM Armed Forces abroad when those children attend  (a) international schools and  (b) fee-paying schools in the UK.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has comprehensive support arrangements for the children of service families that are living abroad. Where numbers and locations overseas permit, our Service Children's Education (SCE) Agency provides schools based on the English national curriculum, including (in Germany) boarding arrangements for those beyond normal commuting distance. There is no charge to members of HM Armed Forces for places at SCE schools. Where it is not possible or practical to provide a SCE school, arrangements are made for service parents to use local or international schools. Where there are no local English-speaking schools the full cost of attending fee-paying international schools is reimbursed. Where local schools are English-speaking but service parents still choose to use an international fee-paying school, two-thirds of the cost is reimbursed.
	For service families who need continuity of education for their children through boarding in UK independent or state maintained boarding schools, the costs can be offset through Continuity of Education Allowances. Service personnel are provided with up to 90 per cent. of the fees and admissible extras (within a set upper limit) as an allowance. There are also allowances for children with Special Educational Needs who need to attend specialist boarding schools.

Suicides

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel have been judged to have committed suicide since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2005, the latest date for which validated centrally-compiled data are available, there were 186 coroner-confirmed suicide and open verdict deaths among regular Armed Forces personnel.

Territorial Army Reserve

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Territorial Army Reserve there are; and how many are serving in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Derek Twigg: The strength of the Territorial Army (TA) as at 1 August 2006, the most recent available statistics from central sources, was 36,260(1). There are currently 300 TA personnel mobilised on Operations in  (a) Iraq and 210 in  (b) Afghanistan.
	(1) TA personnel include Group A and B, Mobilised TA and OTC but excludes NRPS and FTRS. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. The sum of the parts may not equal the total.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of  (a) abortions performed (i) before the 12(th) week of pregnancy, (ii) between the 12(th) and 18(th) weeks of pregnancy, (iii) between the 18(th) and 24(th) weeks of pregnancy and (iv) after the 24(th) week of pregnancy and  (b) the provision of the morning after pill in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Information on the cost of performing abortion by gestation period is not collected centrally.
	In addition, the total cost of the provision of emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) is not collected centrally. The available costs to the national health service for prescriptions dispensed in the community in England for the last three years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Net ingredient cost ( million) 
			 2003 2.3 
			 2004 2.1 
			 2005 1.9 
			  Source: Business Services Authority 
		
	
	Information is not available on the cost of EHC supplied by: hospitals; community contraceptive clinics; nurses or pharmacists under a Patient Group Direction; private prescriptions; or purchased in pharmacies.

Associate Hospital Manager

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the associate hospital manager function is not provided for under mental health foundation trust status; what plans her Department has to replace functions in the  (a) short and  (b) long term; and what recourse a mental health patient has to independent appeal in the interim period.

Rosie Winterton: The Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 established the legislative framework for national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs). In doing so, it amended section 23 of the Mental Health Act 1983 to provide that NHSFTs could delegate their power to discharge patients detained under the 1983 Act to three or more of their non-executive directors. NHS trusts, by contrast, may delegate to three or more people who are not employees of the trust if they are (non-executive) directors (or the chairman) of the trust or members of one of its committees or subcommittees. It is this last group of individuals who are commonly referred to as associate hospital managers.
	The approach taken in the 2003 Act was the one considered appropriate at the time. However, the Government are now of the view that it would be better if NHSFTs had more flexibility to authorise people other than its non-executive directors to act on their behalf. It will therefore seek to amend the relevant primary legislation as soon as a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
	In the interim, the obligation on NHSFTs to exercise their powers of discharge remains. Patients of NHSFT hospitals will therefore continue to be able to request the managers to consider their cases. Detained patients (in all hospitals) also have rights to apply to the mental health review tribunal, which is an independent judicial body with the power to discharge patients from liability to detention.

Breast Cancer

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has commissioned research to examine potential links between exposure to agricultural chemicals and breast cancer.

Caroline Flint: The Department's independent committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment (COC) recently considered the potential association between certain environmental organochlorine insecticides and breast cancer. A statement was finalised in September 2004 and is available at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/coc/ocibc04.htm After a full consideration of all the large amount of information COC concluded that there is no convincing evidence for an association with organochlorine insecticides. The committee was aware that none of the organochlorine insecticides included in this review are approved for use in pesticide formulations in the United Kingdom but persist in the environment and exposure of the population has occurred mainly via the diet.
	It has been claimed that other environmental chemicals could have weak estrogenic activity which if added together could cause breast cancer. The World Health Organization international programme on chemical safety global assessment of endocrine disrupting chemicals, published in 2002, concluded that the additive effects of such chemicals would be very weak and the available data did not support a direct association. The assessment is available at:
	www.who.int/ipcs/publications/new_issues/endocrine_disruptors/en/

Cadbury Schweppes

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Cadbury Schweppes items were identified in the food diaries of those who suffered from salmonella Montevideo which were examined by the Health Protection Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We are unable to respond to this question at this stage, as it is regarding an on-going investigation and release of the required information might prejudice future prosecutions.

Central Lancashire PCT

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to deliver more health services in the community in the Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust area.

Rosie Winterton: Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT), in line with national policy, is reviewing a number of patient pathways with a view to delivering care safely and to a high standard within a community setting. Work has already commenced on areas such as dermatology and musculoskeletal services and information to date shows an average of 43 per cent. of patients being treated in a community setting. The PCT will build on this work, and over the coming months share the next stage of this development with patients and clinicians alike.

Childhood Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work her Department has  (a) undertaken and  (b) funded on childhood obesity since 1997; and how much each project (i) has cost and (ii) is forecast to cost.

Caroline Flint: The Government have set a national public service agreement target to halt, by 2010, the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole. The target is jointly owned by the Department of Health, Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills in recognition that cross-Government action will be necessary to tackle this major public health issue.
	There are many large cross-Government programmes that impact on obesity that the Department jointly funds. One example is the Healthy Schools Programme with an allocation of 16.1 million for 2006-07. We do not hold a total figure on spend on childhood obesity since 1997 but in addition to national health service spending the Department has funded a number of central initiatives to support action on obesity including:
	the Department is currently working with stakeholders to develop an obesity prevention social marketing programme for launch in early 2007. The objective will be to prevent unhealthy weight gain in children aged 2 to 10, by influencing their parents and carers to make healthier food choices and to increase physical activity. 5 million has been allocated to develop this work in the financial year 2006-07;
	the new Healthy Start Scheme, a reform of the Welfare Food Scheme, provides certain low-income families with vouchers to exchange for fruit, vegetables, milk and infant formula. The cost of the new Healthy Start Scheme is estimated at 130 million per annum and the scheme will be launched across the United Kingdom in November 2006;
	67 million between April 2001 and March 2006 on the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme;
	3 million allocated for the period 2004-06 to provide training on obesity for primary care staff, enabling staff to develop their skills; and
	school pedometer pilots and local exercise action pilots. In excess of 3 million was allocated to these pilots in 2005-06.

Childhood Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Department has withdrawn its funding for the study into the link between childhood obesity and diabetes at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth.

Caroline Flint: The Department has never made a commitment to long-term funding of the EarlyBird study into the link between childhood obesity and diabetes, but responded in 2005 to a request for stop-gap funding to contribute to the continuity of staff contracts pending the outcome of their bid to a major research funder. Although a figure of up to 90,000 had originally been discussed with the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, funding was limited to a payment of 50,000.

Childhood Obesity

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of children aged between two and 10 years who are obese; and what the estimates were for each year since 1990-91.

Caroline Flint: We are unable to provide all the data requested. The data we can give are based on estimates provided by the Health Survey for England. The table presents data on obesity in children in 1995 and 2004, the earliest and most recent years for which data are available, and all years in between.
	
		
			  Prevalence of obesity among children aged 2 to 10 by gender, 1995-2004, England 
			  Percentage 
			   Unweighted  Weighted 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 1)  2004( 1)  2003( 1)  2004( 1) 
			 Boys 9.6 11.0 11.1 11.4 16.1 12.2 13.5 15.2 14.9 16.2 15.1 15.9 
			 Girls 10.3 10.2 10.7 11.8 13.0 11.8 12.7 15.8 12.5 11.9 12.4 12.8 
			  Bases 
			 Boys 1,261 1,418 2,007 1,336 633 570 1,035 2,364 876 416 878 5,368 
			 Girls 1,266 1,365 2,082 1,216 628 523 1,094 2,290 897 343 858 4,901 
			 (1) From 2003 data are weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years.  Source: Health Survey for England 2004updating of trend tables to include 2004 data, The Information Centre for Health and Social Care.

Dental Care Professionals

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she has made to the General Dental Council's consultation on the new rules for dental care professionals; and what assessment she has made of the effects of the rules on denturists.

Rosie Winterton: The General Dental Council (GDC) launched a new statutory register for dental nurses and technicians including clinical dental techniciansdenturistsin July 2006. The GDC is independent of Government and the consultation that preceded the setting-up of the registration system was therefore a matter for GDC, not the Government.
	The Government however strongly support the principle of registration. Its launch means that denturism has become a legitimate clinical activity subject to normal professional regulation. Work is under way with training institutions and representatives of clinical dental technicians to develop appropriate training courses leading to registration.

EU Food Hygiene Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to implement the revised EU food hygiene legislation that came into force on 1 January; how much has been spent on such implementation to date; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for the new food hygiene regulation that came into effect on 1 January 2006, replacing and simplifying previous legislation. Enforcement of the legislation is largely through local authorities (LAs) that are provided with funds for this purpose as part of their revenue support grant.
	The board of the FSA discussed implementation of the regulation at its open meeting in March 2005 and agreed a package of additional measures to assist the food industry, focused on small businesses. Details of this discussion are available in a paper that has previously been placed in the Library of the House, and can be also found on the FSA website at: www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/fsa050302.pdf.
	The main change for food businesses resulting from the new legislation is the requirement to have documented food safety management procedures in place that assure good hygiene standards so as to protect consumers. It is for businesses to make arrangements to comply with the new legislation and most larger businesses already had effective systems in place.
	In England, a support programme called Safer Food Better Business has been launched to help small catering and retail businesses. 11.5 million has been allocated to this programme over three years starting in September 2005. The main elements of the programme are free guidance packs for businesses along with a special grants scheme that supports LAs to provide training and advice. Up to October 2006, 175,000 packs have been distributed free of charge to businesses and 86 projects involving 254 LAs, some two-thirds of the total number have been funded, directly supporting over 52,000 small businesses.
	Grants were awarded to projects run by LAs following appraisals of applications. Appraisals were carried out by the FSA assisted by stakeholders, including the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) and an independent academic expert. Not all applications were successful. Between September 2005 and October 2006 just over 3.5 million had actually been spent. All figures exclude value added tax (VAT).
	Similar schemes to support businesses are in place in other countries in the United Kingdom.
	Details of the Safer Food Better Business grants can be found on the FSA website at: www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2006/sep/foodsafetycash.
	In addition, the new regulation applies to farmers and growers, in many cases for the first time. In England, the FSA has allocated 1.2 million excluding VAT in 2006-07 to train local authority officers to undertake this new work and to directly support inspections. This funding is likely to remain in place until arrangements have been made to provide funding through the revenue support grant from 2008-09. Plans to deliver this activity are under way from late 2006. No money had actually been spent up to October 2006.

GPs (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in  (a) single and  (b) multiple practices in Peterborough constituency were (i) aged below 55 years of age and (ii) above 55 years of age on 30 September 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)( 1)  for specified primary care trusts (PCT), as at 30 September 2005( 2) 
			  ( 1) All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)  Under 55  55 and over 
			  Total specified PCTs
			 All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 124 97 27 
			 Working in single-handed partnerships 8 3 5 
			 Working in group partnerships 116 94 22 
			 
			  North Peterborough PCT
			 All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 59 39 20 
			 Working in single-handed partnerships 5 1 4 
			 Working in group partnerships 54 38 16 
			 All practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1)
			 
			  South Peterborough PCT
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 65 58 7 
			 Working in single-handed partnerships 3 2 1 
			 Working in group partnerships 62 56 6 
			 (1)General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes Contracted GPs, GMS Others and PMS Others. (2)Latest available data  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Herceptin

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 47WS, on Herceptin, whether she has received a progress report from the National Cancer Director on the availability of HER2 testing to all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients of all ages.

Rosie Winterton: In March 2006, the national cancer director sought a progress report from cancer networks on the availability of HER2 testing for breast cancer patients in their area. This showed that there had been a significant improvement in the number of cancer networks providing HER2 testing for all women diagnosed with early breast cancer.
	As set out in the written ministerial statement on 12 June, 28 out of 34 cancer networks reported that they were HER2 testing all women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. The remaining six reported that they would be testing all these women by the end of this month, October 2006. A further progress report has not been requested.

Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research her Department has conducted on the introduction of human papilloma virus vaccines;
	(2)  what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the introduction of human papilloma virus vaccines in the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The Department commissioned some preliminary research in 2005 into the possible use of human papilloma virus vaccines. The research found that generally parents were very positive about a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. However, concern was expressed by some parents about offering such a vaccine to young children, with the opinion generally favouring the vaccine being offered in early adolescence at secondary school.

Independent Treatment Centre

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people who have received treatment at an independent sector treatment centre later  (a) presented at an accident and emergency department and  (b) were admitted to hospital by their GP in each of the last two years, broken down by treatment centre.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Infant Mortality

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of infant mortality was  (a) in England and  (b) in each English region in each year since 1997; what assessment she has made of the differences in infant mortality between different socio-economic groups; and what targets she has to reduce the level of infant mortality.

Caroline Flint: The level of infant mortality for England and for each English region for each year since 1997 is shown in the table.
	Our assessment of the differences in infant mortality between different socio-economic groups reflects the infant mortality aspect of the Government's health inequalities public service agreement target which is:
	by 2010 to reduce inequalities in health outcomes by 10 per cent. as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth;
	and specifically:
	starting with children under one year, by 2010 to reduce by at least 10 per cent. the gap in mortality between routine and manual groups and the population as a whole.
	Progress on the target is reported in Tackling Health Inequalities: A Status Report on the Programme for Action. It states that despite overall improvements in infant mortality rates, the relative gap between the routine and manual groups and the population as a whole has widened since 1997-99. It was 19 per cent. in 2002-04 compared to 13 per cent. higher in the baseline period of 1997-99.
	Infant mortality rates are at an all-time low and the rates among the routine and manual group continue to fall.
	Other targets that support the infant mortality target include:
	reducing adult smoking rates from 26 per cent. in 2002, to 21 per cent. or less by 2010, with a reduction in prevalence among the routine and manual groups from 31 per cent. in 2002 to 26 per cent or less;
	reducing the under-18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010, as part of a broader strategy to improve sexual health.
	
		
			  Infant deaths and infant mortality rates for England and Government Office region, 1997-2005 
			   England  North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			 1997 3,568 5.9 170 5.8 554 6.7 391 6.5 274 5.7 
			 1998 3,392 5.6 145 5.0 510 6.3 412 6.9 273 5.6 
			 1999 3,375 5.7 154 5.6 517 6.5 364 6.3 282 6.0 
			 2000 3,180 5.6 171 6.5 473 6.2 410 7.3 245 5.4 
			 2001 3,040 5.4 139 5.4 439 5.8 306 5.5 220 4.9 
			 2002 2,967 5.2 125 4.8 403 5.4 340 6.1 252 5.6 
			 2003 3,139 5.3 132 4.9 456 5.9 331 5.7 279 5.9 
			 2004 3,025 5.0 126 4.5 438 5.4 347 5.8 235 4.9 
			 2005 3,078 5.0 126 4.5 474 5.8 372 6.1 229 4.7 
		
	
	
		
			   West Midlands  East  London  South East  South West 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			 1997 464 7.0 310 4.8 614 5.8 476 5.0 315 5.8 
			 1998 424 6.5 322 5.0 627 6.0 421 4.4 258 4.8 
			 1999 440 6.9 290 4.6 631 6.0 453 4.8 244 4.7 
			 2000 416 6.8 270 4.4 565 5.4 397 4.4 233 4.7 
			 2001 389 6.4 271 4.5 637 6.1 376 4.2 263 5.4 
			 2002 403 6.6 259 4.3 581 5.5 394 4.5 210 4.3 
			 2003 471 7.4 280 4.5 592 5.4 386 4.2 212 4.1 
			 2004 415 6.3 267 4.2 592 5.2 368 3.9 237 4.5 
			 2005 425 6.4 260 4.0 587 5.1 367 3.9 238 4.5 
			  Notes: 1. Infant mortality rate is defined as deaths at ages under one year per 1,000 live births. 2. Figures for 2005 are provisional  Source:  Key Population and Vital Statistics, Vital Statistic Tables (Office for National Statistics)

Influenza Vaccinations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pensioners in Hendon qualify for influenza vaccinations; how many doses of vaccination have been available to the NHS in Hendon in each of the last three years; how many doses have been administered by the NHS in Hendon over the same period; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally. General practitioners are responsible for ordering vaccine direct from the supplier of their choice, so the number of patients requiring vaccine and the amount of doses ordered is dependent on what local GP list sizes are and what they actually ordered.
	The following table shows the flu vaccine uptake for people over 65 in Barnet primary care trust (PCT) for the last three years:
	
		
			  Flu uptake at Barnet PCT 
			   Percentage 
			 2003-04 66 
			 2004-05 66 
			 2005-06 72

Junior Doctors

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce how many junior doctor training posts there will be in each specialty under Modernising Medical Careers.

Rosie Winterton: The four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers announced on 29 September indicative figures of 22,000 to 23,000 for the number of places planned to be available during the transition to new specialty training programmes in 2007. Further information is required before final figures can be confirmed early in the new year. Further work is being undertaken so that more precise information, including a breakdown by specialty, can be given in due course.

Junior Doctors

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that there is an appropriate balance of specialties within the new junior doctor training posts.

Rosie Winterton: The provisional number of training places in England projected by the postgraduate deans to be available next year is slightly in excess of 30,000. This includes about 11,500 places in foundation programmes, 15,500 places in specialty training programmes and a further 3,300 places in fixed-term specialty training appointments.
	These figures are indicative and are still subject to further discussions with postgraduate deans, medical Royal Colleges and the national health service and will be refined later in the year. Work on the distribution across individual specialties is now under way and the outcome will be published when the figures are confirmed. Foundation programmes are not specialty specific.
	The number of training places in each training programme is planned over time to provide the number of specialists and general practitioners necessary to deliver patient care. Entry to training programmes will be by competition. Each applicant will be able to make up to four applications and can therefore choose to compete for both specialties and locations.
	Selection and recruitment will be managed by postgraduate deans according to person specifications developed for each specialty. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by expert panels comprising specialists in the field and service representatives. This process will be supported by the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS), a UK-wide web-based system designed to support the efficient handling of applications. This new system went live on 25 October this year for the handling of foundation programme applications and goes live January 2007 for the start of specialty recruitment.

Junior Doctors

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what career advice is being provided to junior doctors regarding the changes taking place under Modernising Medical Careers.

Rosie Winterton: Junior doctors have access to personal career advice through their postgraduate medical deanery's career advice service, which has received funding specifically for this purpose. For more general advice about the changes in specialty/general practitioner training, a comprehensive plan of events, publications, presentations and articles will start with the launch of the new programmes by England's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, on 13 November 2006. These are planned specifically for the transitional years. In the future, NHS Careers has proposed to offer web-based, national information to support local career advisers.

Junior Doctors

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect on services caused by junior doctors taking time off to attend interviews for the new junior doctor training posts advertised from November 2006; and what steps she has taken to minimise such effects.

Rosie Winterton: Deaneries are working with trusts to establish a detailed calendar of interview dates, locations and times for the national recruitment next year.
	The national interview schedule will be made available in advance so that trainees will be able to identify the four possible dates they might be interviewed and, with this information, cover and service arrangements can be planned well in advance.
	Trainees can have a maximum of four interviewsthis is a far smaller number than many trainees have had in the past and with advance planning of dates trusts will be able to manage the situation without undue disruption.

Junior Doctors

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her assessment is of the capability of the IT infrastructure of NHS trusts to deal effectively with the recruitment process for the new junior doctor training posts.

Rosie Winterton: Recruitment to medical training programmes starting in 2007 will be undertaken through the medical training application service (MTAS). In order to use MTAS, recruitment teams need to have access to the same IT infrastructure as is required to access national health service jobs: a standard internet browser and an e-mail account.

Junior Doctors

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the British Medical Association on the introduction of Modernising Medical Careers.

Rosie Winterton: I understand that the junior doctors' committee have voiced a number of concerns in the press around modernising medical careers (MMC), though they have not made a direct approach. Officials have met with their representatives to discuss these concerns and are keen to engage further with all stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation of MMC.

Long-term Care Costs

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of people who had to sell their homes in order to pay for long-term care in 2006-07;
	(2)  what percentage of patients who received long-term care from the National Health Service had to pay towards their care in 2006-07;
	(3)  what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of patients who have to sell their homes in order to receive long-term nursing care.

Ivan Lewis: National health service care, including continuing care and nursing care, is free at the point of delivery.
	Social services care is means tested, based on an individual's assets, and is provided by local councils.
	Since 2001, no one has had to sell their home in order to enter a care home as they can agree a deferred payment with their council, which is claimed back at a later date. Under this scheme, the council meets the cost of the care home place and these costs are recouped from the estate of the resident on death.

Mesothelioma

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost of providing  (a) herceptin for breast cancer and  (b) alimta for mesothelioma for each patient with such diseases in the South West of England, broken down by primary care trust area.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the cost of providing herceptin for breast cancer and alimta for mesothelioma to individual patients is not centrally collected.
	However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has assessed that the cost of providing herceptin for early breast cancer is approximately 24,500 per patient and the cost of providing alimta for mesothelioma is approximately 8,000 per patient. Costs may vary in different settings because of negotiated procurement discounts.

Mesothelioma

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are receiving treatment for mesothelioma in the South West of England, broken down by primary care trust.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of people receiving treatment for mesothelioma is not centrally collected. Information on count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma for primary care trusts in the south west of England is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma( 1)  for PCTs in the south west of England for 2004-05 (most recent data available) 
			  PCT name  Total episodes 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 50 
			 Bournemouth Teaching PCT 40 
			 Bristol North PCT 0 
			 Bristol South and West PCT 71 
			 Central Cornwall PCT 89 
			 Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT 133 
			 Cotswold and vale PCT (2) 
			 Kennet and North Wiltshire PCT 0 
			 East Devon PCT (2) 
			 Exeter PCT 57 
			 Mendip PCT (2) 
			 Mid Devon PCT (2) 
			 North and East Cornwall PCT (2) 
			 North Devon PCT 13 
			 North Dorset PCT 0 
			 North Somerset PCT 25 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 59 
			 Poole PCT 12 
			 Somerset Coast PCT 0 
			 South and East Dorset PCT (2) 
			 South Gloucestershire PCT 57 
			 South hams and West Devon PCT (2) 
			 South Somerset PCT 12 
			 South West Dorset PCT 9 
			 South Wiltshire PCT 21 
			 Swindon PCT 9 
			 Taunton Deane PCT 11 
			 Teignbridge PCT 0 
			 Torbay PCT 15 
			 West of Cornwall PCT (2) 
			 West Gloucestershire PCT 0 
			 West Wiltshire PCT 0 
			 (1 )The ICD-10 codes used in this analysis were as follows: C45 Mesothelioma D19 Benign neoplasm of mesothelial tissue. (2 )Low numbers: Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed.  Notes: 1. Finished consultant episode (FCE): An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Ungrossed data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 3. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis): The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care.

MS

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available to NHS patients diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Ivan Lewis: People diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have access to the full range of health and social care as detailed in the national service framework for long-term conditions. In addition, all patients living with multiple sclerosis have access to a wide range of medications to help manage the symptoms associated with this disease. These include drugs for the relief of pain, depression, spasticity and bladder problems.

Multiple Myeloma

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatments are currently licensed for multiple myeloma in the UK; what treatments for multiple myeloma are currently provided by the NHS; whether thalidomide is licensed for the treatment of multiple myeloma; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Treatments licensed for the treatment of multiple myeloma are listed in the British National Formulary, which can be found at www.bnf.org.
	It will be for clinicians, in discussion with patients, to determine treatments for a patient's condition. Treatments that have been positively appraised by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) must be funded by primary care trusts within three months of publication of guidance, if the patient concerned is eligible.
	Where NICE guidance is not available, PCTs should continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the available evidence. Funding for such treatments should not be withheld simply because of an absence of guidance from NICE.
	Thalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma is not licensed. Thalidomide can be given to particular patients if their clinician thinks they might benefit; this is called a named patient basis, and the PCT concerned agrees to fund it. Thalidomide may also be given to people taking part in research trials.

NHS Cancer Plan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was allocated to the University Hospital North Durham for capital expenditure under the NHS cancer plan; and what capital equipment has been purchased by the hospital under the plan.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 26 October 2006
	The University Hospital North Durham was allocated 0.679 million under the NHS Cancer Plan investment programme for the purchase of an additional CT scanner and associated building works. A delivery date for the scanner will be agreed shortly.

NHS Finance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital expenditure there has been within the NHS in Coventry since May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows total capital expenditure by national health service bodies in Coventry from 1998-99 to 2004-05, which are the only years for which figures are available. These figures exclude private finance initiative (PFI) and local improvement finance trust (LIFT) schemes.
	
		
			  Total capital expenditure by NHS bodies in Coventry 
			   Expenditure 
			 1998-99 21,626,000 
			 1999-2000 8,203,000 
			 2000-01 9,871,000 
			 2001-02 12,838,000 
			 2002-03 8,181,000 
			 2003-04 21,105,000 
			 2004-05 22,516,000 
			  Sources: Audited accounts of Coventry health authority 1998-99 to 2001-02 Audited summarisation schedules of Coventry teaching primary care trust 2002-03 to 2004-05 Audited summarisation schedules of Walsgrave hospital NHS trust 1998-99 and 1999-2000 Audited summarisation schedules of university hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trust 2000-01 to 2004-05 Audited summarisation schedules of Coventry healthcare NHS trust 1998-99 to 2001-02 Audited summarisation schedules of Coventry and Warwickshire ambulance NHS trust 2003-04 and 2004-05 
		
	
	The following table shows capital expenditure on PFI and LIFT schemes by Coventry teaching PCT from 2003-04 to 2006-07. These figures were obtained from NHS West Midlands.
	
		
			  Coventry teaching primary care trustcapital expenditure on LIFT/PFI 
			   LIFT  PFI 
			  2003-04   
			 LIFT Enabling FundsPurchase of Land and Associated Costs 1,020,212  
			
			  2004-05   
			 PFI Residual Interest  159,000 
			 LIFT Enabling FundsPurchase GP Premises 874,815  
			 MHUPFI Equipment (including Car Park Barrier)  203,593 
			 MHUPFI IT Equipment  111,603 
			 MHUBoundary Fence  11,620 
			 MHUPharmacy (Library Option)  13,591 
			
			  2005-06   
			 PFI Residual Interest  165,000 
			 Purchase of LIFT Co Equity 130,462  
			 Longford Furniture and Equipment 120,500  
			 Keresley Furniture and Equipment 20,964  
			 Longford Switchboard 33,591  
			 MHUPFI IT Equipment (Library Management System)  10,000 
			
			  2006-07 (to 26 October 2006)   
			 PFI Residual Interest  171,000 
			
			 Total 2,200,544 845,407 
		
	
	In addition, the new 400 million Walsgrave hospital PFI opened in Coventry in July 2006.

NHS Recruitment

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department collects on  (a) vacant posts,  (b) posts which are frozen and  (c) qualified staff who are seeking work in the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: The Information Centre for Health and Social Care collects information as at 31 March about posts that have been vacant for three months or more that trusts and primary care trusts are actively trying to recruit to.
	The general practitioner practice vacancies survey produces an estimated three-month vacancy figure from a sample of 2,000 randomly selected GP practices in England, stratified by strategic health authority.
	Information on the number of frozen posts is not collected centrally.
	Information about the number of qualified staff who are seeking work in the national health service is not collected centrally.

NHS Savings Plans

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) staff reductions,  (b) ward closures,  (c) asset sales and  (d) assets to be reduced in use are part of the savings planned at (i) Epsom, (ii) Ealing, (iii) St. George's London, (iv) Westminster, (v) Hammersmith, (vi) Hillingdon and (vii) St. Helier London hospitals.

Andy Burnham: This information is not held centrally.

NHS Training Budgets

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities are planning to reduce their spending on training over the next three years; and what  (a) the percentage reduction planned and  (b) the cash amount of such a reduction is in each case.

Rosie Winterton: As budgets for 2007-08 and beyond have not yet been set, it is too early to say what the priorities of local delivery plans for 2007-08 onwards will be.

NICE

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects all NHS trusts to implement fully the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on infertility.

Caroline Flint: The primary responsibility for implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines, including the rate of implementation, rests with the national health service at local level. Local policies on the provision of treatment services reflect local health needs and priorities. We are supporting a new project by the voluntary organisation Infertility Network UK on ways in which it can work with primary care trusts (PCTs) to help ensure that fertility patients' voices are heard when decisions about the provision of services are made at local level. We have asked PCTs to co-operate with this project.

Non-governmental Public Bodies

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) administration costs and  (b) total number of staff of (i) the Healthcare Commission, (ii) the Commission for Social Care Inspection, (iii) the Office of the Independent Regulator of Foundation Trusts and (iv) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency were in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The information is as follows.
	The administrative costs for:
	
		
			million 
			  Healthcare Commission  
			 2003-04 (1) 
			 2004-05 68.994 
			 2005-06 67.888 
			  Commission for Social Care Inspection  
			 2003-04 109.86 
			 2004-05 112.771 
			 2005-06 99.07 
			   
			  Office of the Independent Regulator of Foundation Trusts  
			 2003-04 3.408 
			 2004-05 14.81 
			 2005-06 15.879 
			   
			  Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency  
			 2003-04 11.983 
			 2004-05 10.982 
			 2005-06 10.982 
			 (1) The Healthcare Commission was not in existence 
		
	
	The total number of staff expressed as whole-time equivalents for:
	
		
			   Whole time-equivalents 
			  Healthcare Commission  
			 2003-04 (1) 
			 2004-05 771 
			 2005-06 771 
			   
			  Commission for Social Care Inspection  
			 2003-04 2,589 
			 2004-05 2,622 
			 2005-06 2,492 
			   
			  Office of the Independent Regulator of Foundation Trusts  
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 33 
			 2005-06 51 
			   
			  Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency  
			 2003-04 747 
			 2004-05 806 
			 2005-06 827 
			 (1) The Healthcare Commission was not in existence

PCT Budgets

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Haringey Primary Care Trust's budget is; and what its original allocation was for 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 30 October 2006
	In 2006-07, the revenue allocation to Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust was 346.3 million.
	The overall financial position is managed by strategic health authorities (SHAs), who take the lead locally in developing and implementing a service and financial strategy for managing the financial position within their locality. As part of this management, SHAs can hold a reserve on behalf of their organisations to manage the overall financial position within their area. The size of any primary care trust (PCT) contribution to this reserve is a matter for local agreement between the SHA and the PCT, but the process is based on fairness. A PCT which makes a contribution will be entitled to have that contribution repaid within a period which does not normally exceed the three-year allocation cycle.

PCTs

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts in England have agreed to mixed contracts for dental practices with both private and NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts contract with dental practices, or other dental providers for an agreed annual level of services for national health service patients. It has always been for dental practices to make their own business decisions as to what private dental services they wish to make available.

Sexual Health

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will undertake research into the effect of parental notification laws on the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has no plans to commission research in this area. The issue of parental notification if a teenager aged under 16 seeks advice and treatment for a sexually transmitted infection, contraception or abortion was recently considered by the High Court. The judgment in this case concluded that a health professional is able to provide contraception, sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment, without parental knowledge or consent, to a young person aged under 16, provided that:
	she/he understands the advice provided and its implications; and
	her/his physical or mental health would otherwise be likely to suffer and so provision of advice or treatment is in their best interest.
	Health professionals seeing children aged under 16 should also follow the guidance set out in the Department's publication Best Practice Guidance for Doctors and Other Health Professionals on the Provision of Advice and Treatment to Young People aged under 16 on Contraception, Sexual and Reproductive Health and the revised cross-Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Sheffield Primary Care Trust

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people applied in the second round for the chairmanship of the new amalgamated Sheffield Primary Care Trust; how many were shortlisted; and whether the person specification required knowledge of, demonstrable commitment to, and previous experience of public service;
	(2)  how many individuals applied for appointment as a non-executive board member of the new combined primary care trust in Sheffield; how many were shortlisted; whether the job specification required knowledge of, demonstrable commitment to, and previous experience of public service; and how many of the non-executive board members of the Sheffield Primary Care Trust live in the Brightside constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The appointment of chairs and non-executive members of primary care trusts has been delegated to the Appointments Commission. Appointments are made against the person specification agreed by Ministers, copies of which have been placed in the Library. I have asked the Commission's chair, Sir William Wells, to respond to my right hon. Friend's specific questions.

Spina Bifida

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department will spend on research into spina bifida in the current financial year.

Andy Burnham: The main agency through which the Government support biomedical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	The MRC is currently funding the following two projects relevant to spina bifida:
	Professor A. Copp, Institute of Child Health, LondonNeurodegeneration Before Birth: Can Inositol Increase Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in Conjunction with Folic Acid? The total amount granted for this project is 122,000 of which some 59,000 will be paid in 2006-07; and
	Dr. K. Storey, University of DundeeSpecification and Regulation of Vertebrae Neural Tube Precursors. Expenditure on this 1.1 million fellowship during 2006-07 is expected to be around 99,000.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with spina bifida, are available on the national research register at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/research

Sterile Supplies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the sterile supplies to general practitioners in Lancashire; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: No assessment has been undertaken. General practitioners in Lancashire are responsible for procuring their own sterile supplies.

Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure rapid implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on tuberculosis.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2097W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock).

Volatile Substance Abuse

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to add bitrex to cigarette lighter fuel to discourage volatile substance abuse.

Caroline Flint: We are working closely with the industry supplying cigarette lighter refills to identify the most practicable way of making these less susceptible to abuse, with a view to reaching a voluntary agreement on the way forward.

Waiting Times

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are waiting for  (a) out-patient and  (b) in-patient care in Coventry; and what the (i) average, (ii) shortest and (iii) longest waiting time was in Coventry in (A) the last 12 months and (B) 1997.

Andy Burnham: The information has been placed in the Library.

Waiting Times

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for orthodontic treatment for  (a) juveniles and  (b) adults in (i) North-West Cambridgeshire and (ii) England in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The average waiting times for an out-patient appointment following general practitioner referral for the orthodontic specialty are shown in the tables. Figures are shown for England and for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire strategic health authority.
	Waiting times figures are unable to be calculated by age group.
	
		
			  Mean and median waits for 1( st)  out-patient appointment following GP referral Orthodontic specialty, England and Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 
			  Weeks 
			   England  Norfolk Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 
			   Median  Mean  Median  Mean 
			 June 1997 10.8 16.9 15.0 22.4 
			  March 
			 1998 12.4 17.8 20.0 26.6 
			 1999 12.8 19.7 20.3 26.9 
			 2000 14.5 21.1 23.1 30.3 
			 2001 11.3 17.5 32.6 36.7 
			 2002 11.6 17.3 35.0 38.1 
			 2003 10.3 10.8 11.8 12.0 
			 2004 9.5 9.7 10.9 11.1 
			 2005 8.8 8.9 11.1 10.8 
			 2006 7.9 8.0 7.9 7.9 
			  Note:  Median and mean figures estimated from aggregate data  Source:  QM08R commissioner based return from primary care trusts/health authorities

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Middle East

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed E1 settlement development on progress on the road map towards peace in the Middle East.

Kim Howells: We are concerned about Israeli practices in East Jerusalem, including settlement expansion, the route of the barrier and restrictions on movement. These threaten the prospect of a two-state solution. We are also concerned about the E1 area east of Jerusalem, where construction of the new police station has already begun. We continue to monitor the situation closely and have made our concerns clear to the Israeli authorities.

Middle East

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on the Middle East peace process.

Kim Howells: The Temporary International Mechanism is paying allowances to health workers and the poorest Palestinians. We are working with US Security Coordinator General Dayton to improve Palestinian security and improve the Karni crossing point.
	The Quartet has said it will play a more active role. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited the region in September. We welcomed the commitment from Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas to meet without conditions.

Middle East

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the outcome was of the Prime Minister's recent visit to the Middle East; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's visit to Israel and the Occupied Territories on 9-10 September, he discussed the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government with President Abbas on 10 September. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear our readiness to work with any Government pursuing a programme based on the three Quartet principlesrecognition of Israel, commitment to agreements previously signed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Palestinian Authority with Israel, and renunciation of violence. He also met Israeli Prime Minister Olmert on 10 September. They discussed the conflict in Lebanon and the way forward for the Middle East Peace Process.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stressed that we need
	to get to the point where we have a political process in place that allows us to deal with the issues to do with economic reconstruction, to do with institutions, to do with security, and also to make sure that as you say the rights of the Palestinian people to a decent and full life are properly respected.
	In this context, he welcomed both President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert agreeing to meet without any pre-conditions.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited Lebanon on 11 September as a demonstration of his support for Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora's Government and his commitment to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701. During that visit he announced the UK's commitment of 40 million to Lebanon this year, including on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts. He also offered UK assistance for the training and equipping of the Lebanese armed forces to enable them to extend their control throughout the whole of Lebanon. And he gave his personal commitment to re-energising the Israel/Palestine peace process for the benefit of the region as a whole.
	I also refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial Statements I made to the House on 13 September 2006,  Official Report, columns 128-130WS and 10 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 14-16WS.

Middle East

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the UK Government have taken following the Israeli Defence Force's transfer of the Rachel's Tomb neighbourhood to the Israeli civilian authority at Jerusalem.

Kim Howells: We have taken no specific action relating to the Israel Defence Force's transfer of the Rachel's Tomb neighbourhood to the Israeli civilian authority, but we raised our concerns, at official level, about the serious impact on the citizens of Bethlehem of Rachel's Tombs' inclusion in the barrier. We believe the barrier's route should be on or behind the Green Line, and not on occupied territory. Construction of the barrier on Palestinian land is illegal. We also remain concerned by settlement activity in and around the area surrounding Rachel's Tomb. We will continue to raise our concerns about this area with the Israeli Government.

UN Resolution 1701

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Governments of Iran and Syria on the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.

Kim Howells: The Government continue to be deeply concerned at the involvement of Syria and Iran in Lebanon, and in particular with their ongoing support for Hizbollah. We have repeatedly called on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hizbollah and their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559,1680 and 1701.

India

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of India about UK jobs being transferred to India.

Margaret Beckett: None. However UK companies must decide how they should maintain competitiveness. We should also recognise that India is now the third largest foreign direct investor into the UK. When I visit India later this week I will encourage further similar Indian investment.

Iraq

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on recent developments in the political situation in Iraq.

Kim Howells: The political situation in Iraq is extremely challenging and sectarian violence a serious concern. The Iraqi Government are implementing security measures and building national reconciliation through dialogue with armed groups, politicians, clerics and civil society.
	This is a very difficult process and progress has been slower than we hoped. Armed groups continue their attacks to divide communities and maintain the cycle of violence. It is vital that we continue to robustly support the Government.

European Parliament

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions the Minister for Europe has had with Members of the European Parliament on the co-decision procedure.

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, discusses a full range of EU issues with Members of the European Parliament. The co-decision procedure features in these discussions as appropriate, and, of course, there are a number of important dossiers subject to the co-decision procedure, such as the Services Directive, which have also been raised with EP colleagues.

Drug Trafficking

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with Latin American Governments on drug trafficking.

Kim Howells: The Government have regular contact with Latin American partners on drugs issues.
	I visited Colombia and Venezuela this month to discuss combating the flow of cocaine to the UK. I emphasised the importance we place on co-operating with regional partners to tackle the problem in supplier and consumer countries.
	My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, also visited Colombia in September and discussed these issues.

North Korea

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the US Secretary of State on North Korea.

Margaret Beckett: I have spoken to the US Secretary of State on a number of occasions over the last few months on handling North Korea, including in the wake of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's claimed nuclear test. We agreed that the test was a clear threat to international peace and security and that there must be a robust response from the UN Security Council.

North Korea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the developments in the North Korean ballistic weapons programme.

Margaret Beckett: The multiple missile launches carried out by North Korea on 4 and 5 July included short range Scud, medium range No-Dong missiles, and a failed test of a Taepo-Dong II missile Intercontinental Ballistic Missile/Satellite Launch Vehicle. As a result of these missile launches, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1695 which demanded
	that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme, and in this context re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launching.
	UN Security Resolution 1718 of 14 October, following North Korea's claimed nuclear test on 9 October, underlined that resolution. We have no new information on the development of North Korea's missile programme, but we cannot rule out any further tests by them.

North Korea

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on North Korea's nuclear programme.

Geoff Hoon: North Korea's claim of a nuclear test on 9 October has only added to our concerns over its nuclear programme, which came to the fore following North Korea's expulsion of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in December 2002 and its statement of intention to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) in January 2003. Its actions jeopardise regional stability in North-East Asia and pose a clear threat to international peace and security. We welcome the measures set out in UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1718 and we will report back to the Security Council, by 13 December, on how we intend to implement them.
	North Korea's test contravenes its commitments under the NPT, breaches the North-South Joint Declaration on the Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and ignores UNSCR 1695. It also runs counter to the spirit of the September 2005 Declaration to which North Korea has signed up.

North Korea

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in China on North Korea's nuclear programme.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on 9 and 13 October, following the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear test. Both agreed that the test was a threat to international peace and security and of the need for a robust response from the UN Security Council.
	In addition, the Government are in regular contact with other senior members of the Chinese Government on this issue. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee, in London on 24 October. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister met State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan in Beijing on 27 October. In both meetings, the UK and Chinese sides agreed on the importance of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1718 and of seeking North Korea's urgent return to the six-party talks on denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Iran

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her latest assessment is of the risk to regional security posed by Iran's nuclear programme.

Kim Howells: The spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would pose a serious threat to the region's stability and security. We remain deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear programme. Iran has not taken the steps required by International Atomic Energy Agency Board or Security Council Resolutions. These are essential to build confidence that the intentions of its nuclear programme are exclusively peaceful.

Darfur

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the Government of Sudan on the security situation in Darfur.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development travelled to Sudan on 16 October to see the security situation in Darfur first-hand. He met with President Bashir to press Sudan for an immediate end to fighting to accept a UN force; meanwhile to co-operate fully with the African Union Mission in Sudan; to bring the non-signatories on board the Darfur Peace Agreement; and allow full humanitarian access to Darfur.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1271W, on Afghanistan, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK's counter-narcotics activities in Afghanistan.

Margaret Beckett: As Afghanistan's partner nation on counter-narcotics the UK is spending 270 million over three years in support of the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy. This year's increase in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is very disappointing and reflects the difficult security situation and limited law enforcement capability in some provinces particularly in the south. However, the cultivation picture varies between, and within provinces, and in some areas where access to governance, security and development has improved, reductions achieved last year have been sustained and in some cases fallen. This is encouraging and shows that the strategy is working. Progress is also being made in other areas. Vital counter-narcotics legislation was passed last December; over 280 traffickers have been convicted to date; and a high security prison for serious drug offenders has been constructed in Kabul. To support alternative livelihoods over 12 million labour days have been provided; 8,800 km of roads rehabilitated, and US$187million in small grants and US$90 million in micro-finance loans have been disbursed.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what account she plans to take of the opium production reducing operations in the Golden Triangle in formulating counter-narcotics policy in Afghanistan.

Margaret Beckett: Experience in the Golden Triangle demonstrates the need to adopt a comprehensive and long-term approach to counter narcotics in order to have a sustainable impact on the drugs trade. In developing its National Drug Control Strategy, the Afghan Government have had regular contact with the Thai authorities, whose holistic opium reduction strategy is considered to be one of the most successful in the world. The Thai strategy focuses on law enforcement, building infrastructure to support development, providing alternative livelihoods and demand reduction. Similarly the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, which the UK supports, reflects these key priorities. However, sustainable drug elimination strategies take time, particularly when the challenges are as severe as they are in Afghanistan. In Thailand, where the problem was much less complex, cultivation increased before the strategy took effect and it took 30 years to achieve a sustainable solution.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team in delivering political, development and military assistance to the province.

Margaret Beckett: The UK's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Helmand is focused on developing Afghan local capacity in development, security and governance, and is helping administer the 20 million the UK has pledged towards the province's reconstruction this financial year. Since the UK took over the PRT in May we have seen early progress on these three fronts, with PRT officials delivering valuable assistance in a challenging environment.
	Development is necessarily a long-term activity. However, the PRT, in close co- ordination with local and national Government, is laying the foundations for lasting reconstruction. To this end, in the past six months the PRT has implemented a number of quick impact projects. These include construction of windmill powered wells in Lashkar Gah, Garmser and Nad-Ali; construction of schools in Nahri Sarj, Now Zad and Lashkar Gah; urgent water infrastructure works in Lashkar Gah; and emergency food distribution across southern Helmand. The Royal Engineer regiment based in the PRT is playing a key role in delivering this development assistance across the province.
	On security, the PRT has undertaken projects to strengthen and reorganise the Helmand police force. In addition the Royal Engineers, at the request of the provincial Government, have undertaken projects aimed at strengthening the security infrastructure in Lashkar Gah. These include the construction of vehicle checkpoints and Afghan national police outposts around Lashkar Gah. On governance, PRT officials are working with Helmand's provincial Government to strengthen provincial-level democracy. The PRT have helped the Provincial Development Committee prioritise its efforts in line with national plans, enabling Afghan-led reconstruction efforts to get off the ground. The PRT continues to provide vital support to the Administration.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team have been deployed in the province in each quarter since 2005; how many are currently deployed in the province; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UK assumed command of the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in May 2006. Since then the UK has had approximately 100 troops deployed to the PRT, in addition to 16 civilian staff from the UK and other partners. Exact quarterly figures are not available.
	In addition, the UK also has a regional co-ordinator for its activity in southern Afghanistan based in Kandahar and a representative from the Department for International Development currently in Kabul with responsibility for Helmand. The latter is expected to rejoin the PRT in Lashkar Gah shortly.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the role of the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund in Afghanistan is; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Counter Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) was created by the Afghan Government to mobilise international donor support for Afghan counter narcotics programmes. The fund is managed by the UN Development Programme. By bringing funding onto the Afghan budget the CNTF will build Afghan counter narcotics capacity, planning and resource transparency. At present, expenditure on alternative livelihoods, implemented through existing national development programmes, is a top priority for the CNTF. However, CNTF funding can also be channelled into other counter narcotics activities including law enforcement and criminal justice activity. A total of US$83.6 million has so far been raised for the CNTF. The UK will channel 30 million into the fund over a three-year period. Other contributors include Australia, Canada, Estonia, the European Commission, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Oman, Sweden and USA.

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on progress made by the Counter Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force in Afghanistan.

Margaret Beckett: The Counter Narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF), consisting of Afghan investigators, prosecutors and judges, was established to work with the counter narcotics police of Afghanistan (CNPA) to conduct drugs prosecutions involving 2kg or more of heroin, morphine or cocaine; 10kg or more of opium; and 50kg of hashish or other controlled drugs. There are currently 84 specially trained members of the CJTF. According to CJTF figures, by the end of September 2006, they had arrested over 690 individuals and completed over 260 cases. This has so far resulted in over 280 convictions. The longest sentence conferred to date is 18 years.

Book Authorisation (Departmental Staff)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the book Diplomatic Baggage by Brigid Keenan was vetted and approved by her Department before publication.

Margaret Beckett: Brigid Keenan has never been a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Diplomatic Service, nor has her husband. The book was neither submitted to, nor vetted by, my Department.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the Entity of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik's calls for a referendum on the Entity's secession from Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Recent calls for a referendum on secession for the Republika Srpska by Prime Minister Milorad Dodik as part of the election campaign are anti-Dayton, unconstitutional and unacceptable. We have emphasised that the Dayton Accords remain the basis for sovereignty, which clearly established the Republika Srpska as an entity within the sovereign state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe raised this issue most recently when he met Prime Minister Milorad Dodik on 25 July.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for closing down the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: At its meeting on 22-23 June 2006, the Steering Board of the Peace Implementation Council agreed that the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina should begin preparations to close on 30 June 2007. This decision will be subject to final review and confirmation in February 2007, to take into account the domestic and regional situations before closure goes ahead.

Burma

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what restrictions are imposed by the Government on UK companies seeking to trade with Burma.

Kim Howells: The Government have a long-standing policy of discouraging British firms from trading with or investing in Burma. We offer no support to companies wishing to trade with Burma or for those who want to invest there. British companies who enquire about trade with Burma are informed of the grave political situation, the regime's atrocious record on human rights and the country's dire economic prospects. Through the EU's Common Position on Burma all EU companies are prevented from investing in named state-owned enterprises. The EU has removed trade preferences for products imported from Burma.

China

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the  (a) likelihood and  (b) extent of innocent people being executed in China; if she will make representations on this matter to the Chinese authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Statistics on actual use of the death penalty in China remain a state secret, but non-governmental organisations have suggested that figures could be as high as 8,000 executions per year. We continue to press the Chinese government to reduce the number of crimes that warrant the death penalty and to improve transparency on the number of people executed in China. My noble and Learned Friend the Lord Chancellor raised the death penalty with the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 24 October. We also raised this issue at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in July.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 6 September 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Majid Ali.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 16 October. I apologise for the delay in responding, which was caused by a change in the circumstances of the case.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letters of 12 and 13 September 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. N. Choudhry.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 9 October 2006.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 11 September 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. W. Behbvdy.

Margaret Beckett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 18 October 2006.

Council of Ministers

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make it her policy to make available for publication in the  Official Report A-List agendas prior to the meeting of the relevant Council of Ministers meeting.

Geoff Hoon: The publication of A-List items is the responsibility of the Council Secretariat within the provisions of the Access to Document Regulation (EC No. 1049/2001). The agenda items are already published on the Council Secretariat website before the meeting on the following website at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=:::549lang=ENmode=g. (Typing 'List of A items' in the search engine will reveal all A-List agenda items).

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the potential effect of allowing direct trade between the EU and northern Cyprus on the reunification of the island; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the financial effect of direct trade with the EU from northern Cyprus on the northern Cyprus economy; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We believe all obstacles to trade in the region should be removed. The history of the EU demonstrates the power of trade to promote economic prosperity and political reconciliation. The preliminary findings of the World Bank report on the economy in northern Cyprus, are that the external constraints on access to EU markets for the Turkish Cypriot community are one of the two biggest constraints to economic development in northern Cyprus. I would endorse the conclusion that the long-term welfare of all Cypriots is in jeopardy if steps are not taken to ensure the convergence of living standards on the island. That is why we remain committed to supporting the Turkish Cypriots and the EU Commission in economic and regulatory reform, and to supporting the EU Presidency in its efforts to find a way for the Turkish Cypriots to trade directly with the EU.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the extent of trade across the Green Line in Cyprus compliant with the Green Line Regulation; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of cross-Green Line banking in Cyprus.

Geoff Hoon: We have made no independent assessment of the extent of trade under the Green Line Regulation. The EU Commission recently reported that, while a range of goods are traded, the overall volume remains small, totalling approximately 2 million per year, and obstacles remain to its further development. No assessment has been made of banking services across the Green Line and this issue does not feature in the Commission's report. (A copy of the recent annual report on the implementation of the Green Line Regulation has been placed in the Library of the House).

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has made to the findings of the recent World Bank Report on the economy of northern Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The World Bank report is one of the first objective surveys of the Turkish Cypriot economy. The report usefully identifies its serious structural problems, together with the restrictive effect of the continuing economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and its continuing economic dependence on Turkey. It illustrates the importance of our continuing to support measures designed to promote the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community and the economic reintegration of the island in fulfilment of the commitment of EU Foreign Ministers to lift their isolation, particularly through EU financial assistance and further regional trade liberalisation.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the numbers of  (a) Turkish Cypriots and  (b) Turks from Turkey resident in occupied north Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The UK has made no formal, independent assessment of the numbers of Turkish Cypriots and Turks from Turkey resident in north Cyprus. The Cyprus Government have published their own estimates. The Turkish Cypriots will next month publish their assessment of the numbers on the basis of the census conducted on 30 April.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the respect by the Turkish authorities of the human rights of Greek Cypriot residents of enclaves in Karpas; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has made to Turkey on the human rights of the Greek Cypriots resident in an enclave in Karpas; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus has primary responsibility for monitoring the human rights situation of Greek Cypriots living in the Karpas. The UK closely follows and supports their assessments on this matter. The UK also plays an active role in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in its responsibility for monitoring Turkey's compliance with its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, including with regard to the Greek Cypriots in the Karpas.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of how many Greek Cypriots were residents of enclaves in Karpas in  (a) 1976 and  (b) 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The UN closely monitors the situation of Greek Cypriots living in the Karpas. The latest UN population figures, dating from May 2006, indicate that 385 Greek Cypriots are currently living in the Karpas. We have made no assessment of how many Greek Cypriot residents there were in 1976, but the population has fallen dramatically from an estimated 20,000 in 1974.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent the EU Erasmus scheme will be available to students  (a) in the Republic of Cyprus and  (b) in northern Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The EU Erasmus scheme is currently not available to students studying at institutions in northern Cyprus. We are aware of plans to fund a programme of EU scholarships for Turkish Cypriot students using the Financial Aid Regulation. We support this scheme, and similar initiatives, as an important means of lifting the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community through promoting academic contacts throughout Europe.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of how many UK flagged vessels were prevented from calling at Turkish ports because they  (a) had previously called at a Cyprus port,  (b) were managed by a Cyprus-based company,  (c) were insured through a Cyprus company and  (d) carried a cargo of Cyprus origin in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether the Turkish embargo of Republic of Cyprus applies to ships and aircraft  (a) insured by Cyprus registered companies,  (b) insured by Cyprus based companies,  (c) which are not Cyprus flagged but have called at Cyprus ports,  (d) are managed by non-Cyprus companies based in Cyprus,  (e) chartered by Cyprus companies and  (f) chartered by non-Cyprus registered companies based in Cyprus;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the effect on the cost of shipping in the EU of the Turkish embargo of Republic of Cyprus ships and aircraft; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the Turkish embargo of the Republic of Cyprus on the  (a) cost and  (b) availability of shipping of oil from the oil pipeline terminal on the Turkish Mediterranean coast; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We do not hold detailed information on the scope of the Turkish restrictions and their application to Republic of Cyprus vessels and we are not aware of any UK flag vessels being prevented from calling at Turkish ports under any of the circumstances cited. We have not made an assessment of the impact of these restrictions on the cost of shipping in the EU or the cost and availability to the EU of the shipping of oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. For a statement, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 30 October 2006 (UIN 96907).

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the continuing costs of  (a) de-mining and  (b) missing persons initiatives in Cyprus; what plans she has to increase the UK's contribution to these initiatives; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what support the Government are giving to  (a) de-mining and  (b) missing persons initiatives in Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Funding for these initiatives is the subject of continuing discussion between the UN and EU. These organisations would no doubt be prepared to share details of the costs with my hon. Friend. The UK supported the provision of EU resources to the UN for de-mining, andthrough our contribution to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprushave given broad support to the de-mining effort and the Committee on Missing Persons. We have encouraged the latter to widen its range of donor countries, and while strongly supporting the Committee's work, we currently have no plans to make a third financial contribution to the organisation's work since our commitment of 45,000 earlier this year.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her assessment is of the impact of the Bologna principle on  (a) accreditation and  (b) recognition of university degrees from institutions in northern Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Government are committed to the Bologna process as a means to improve systems of accreditation and the recognition of university degrees across Europe, through the implementation of the Bologna principles by individual signatory states. We are in contact with the Turkish Cypriots regarding their concerns about the continuing recognition of qualifications from universities in northern Cyprus.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Turkish authorities and north Cyprus pressing for permission for Greek Cypriots to visit Agios Mamas Church in Morphou without having to pay a fee; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Our high commission in Nicosia is in regular contact with the Bishop of Morphou and representatives of the Greek Cypriot community from Morphou on a range of issues.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to Turkey concerning the opening of the Ledra Street checkpoint in Nicosia; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The 10 million or more reported crossings since the green line opened in 2003 have facilitated an increase in social, economic and political contact between the two communities in promotion of the reunification of the island. We welcomed the decision in autumn 2005 to open another crossing point at Ledra Street, and were disappointed when difficulties subsequently arose. We have made no representations to any of the parties since that time, but encourage the parties to make progress in the near future. In this context, we welcome the recent meeting between the mayors of north and south Nicosia where the issue of Ledra Street checkpoint was discussed, and the UN's ongoing work in this area.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department has spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months.

Geoff Hoon: It would only be possible to determine the total spent on organising and hosting conferences at disproportionate cost.
	However, in the 12 months between October 2005 and September 2006, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent a total of 2,432,058.92 under the broader heading of Inward Visits/UK Conferences. This heading also includes the FCO's expenditure on inward visits by foreign Ministers and officials, and for attendance by officials at conferences organised by others, as well as on organising and hosting conferences.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of vacancies in her Department in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics GCSE.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advertised for 382 permanent positions in the last 12 months. Of these vacancies, 162 (42 per cent.) specifically required at least a GCSE grade C in Mathematics and 268 (70 per cent.) at least a GCSE grade C in English language. Of the 114 positions where no such specific requirement was made, 73 required higher educational qualifications or professional qualifications. For the remaining 41 positions, candidates were required to possess relevant experience or demonstrable competences. Examples of such positions include web editor and help desk officers.

Eritrea

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has made any representations on the recent deaths of Immanuel Andegergesh and Kibrom Firemichael in Asmara, Eritrea; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have raised the report of these deaths with the Eritrean ambassador in London and our embassy has made inquiries in Asmara. We have not been able to confirm the accuracy of these reports. We remain concerned by reports of state interference in religious affairs and lack of freedom of worship in Eritrea. We condemn the use of torture wherever it occurs. We monitor closely action taken by the authorities against minority religious groups. Together with EU partners, we make our serious concerns known to the Eritrean Government whenever possible.

Ethiopia

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Reading East (Mr. Wilson) of 11 January 2006,  Official Report, column 671W, on Ethiopia, what steps the UK Government have taken to secure the release of opposition political leaders, members of Parliament and journalists who were arrested after the November 2005 riots in Addis Ababa; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We continue to make representations to the Government of Ethiopia regarding all those, including Civil Society representatives, detained in connection with the political disturbances in 2005. Officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa made representations to the Ministry of Justice about the on-going trial of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy (CUD) leadership on 12 July 2006 and our ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised it with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on several occasions, most recently on 14 October with other EU Heads of Mission. He has also visited two representatives of Civil Society detained in connection with the disturbances.
	We financed an EU international observer to monitor the trial of the CUD leadership for the first three months. Monitoring continues to be financed by the EU.

European Institutions

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if she will put forward proposals to the European Union to improve the accountability and effectiveness of the European institutions.

Margaret Beckett: This Government are committed to making good use of the existing treaties to improve the accountability and effectiveness of EU institutions, in line with the agreement at the June European Council. For example, we welcome the Commission's commitment on direct transmission of proposals to national Parliaments. We want to see national Parliaments play a stronger role in ensuring implementation of the principle of subsidiarity.

European Union

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her statement in Prospects for the EU in 2006 (Cm 6896), which  (a) bodies and  (b) persons the Government have consulted with regard to proposals dealing with cross-border family maintenance obligations and the law applying to cross-border contractual obligations; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Following publication of the maintenance proposal, the Government consulted its stakeholder group on international maintenance which includes members of the legal professions; the judiciary; and my noble and Learned Friend the Lord Chancellor's Standing Committee on Private International Law.
	Following publication of the proposal concerning cross-border contractual obligations, the Government consulted its stakeholder group which includes representatives of the financial institutions; legal professions; commercial organisations; consumer bodies; the trade unions; and my noble and Learned Friend the Lord Chancellor's Standing Committee on Private International Law.

Korea

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the United Kingdom is taking as one of the United Nations guarantor powers to stop incursions along the demilitarised zone on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Howells: The demilitarized zone continues to be supervised by the UN Command Military Armistice Commission under the Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953. As a member of the UN Command, the UK continues to monitor violations of the Armistice Agreement.

Kosovo

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the security situation in  (a) Serbia and  (b) Kosovo prior to the completion of the UN-led talks on the final status of Kosovo.

Margaret Beckett: Our assessment is that the security situation in Serbia prior to the completion of the UN-led talks on the final status of Kosovo is stable. Security in Kosovo is kept under constant review by NATO and the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The situation in Kosovo remains generally calm but tense as the future status process moves forward. We condemn recent incidents such as the grenade attacks in Mitrovica and on Serb returnees in Klina. Where there have been such security incidents the Kosovo Police Service has responded, with UNMIK providing support where appropriate.

Kurdistan Workers Party

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications of the recent activity of the Kurdistan Workers Party in south-eastern Anatolia; and what discussions she has had with her Turkish counterparts on that subject.

Margaret Beckett: We note the declaration of a 'ceasefire' by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from 1 October and will continue to monitor the situation in South-East Turkey closely. It is too early to draw a conclusion about how lasting or comprehensive this cessation of violence may be. The PKK is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK and is on the EU's list of terrorist organisations. We regularly discuss terrorism with the Turkish authorities, most recently when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met his Turkish counterpart on 3 October.

Nuclear Weapons

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with her Security Council counterparts on the relevance of the Proliferation Security Initiative to the enforcing of UN Security Council Resolution 1718; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Officials have been discussing, including with Security Council partners, how to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1718. Experience and expertise gained through activities and exercises as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative have informed these discussions, which are ongoing.

Palestinian Authority

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the role of the UK has been in implementing International Community Commitments under the March 2005 London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority.

Margaret Beckett: Since the London Meeting in March 2005, the UK has taken a number of steps to implement the International Community Commitments. The Palestinian Authority (PA) also had a number of Commitments to implement in parallel. These Commitments include action to address economic development, governance and security. The UK has been encouraging international partners to implement the International Community Commitments.
	With regards to economic development, in December 2005 the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee, co-chaired by the UK and Norway, met in London. Also in December 2005, HM Treasury held a private sector business/ investment event.
	Under the UK's Presidency of the EU, an international crossing point at Rafah was opened. The UK was closely involved in the negotiations. Our total financial contribution to the EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah is 913,000. This financial contribution includes personnel, equipment and financial contribution. Also, the UK seconded a member of staff to the UN Office for the Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs to identify physical obstacles to movement in the West Bank which can be removed.
	On governance, we provided over 200,000-worth of assistance for the Palestinian elections which were held on 25 January. In particular we worked with the electoral authorities to support work on media monitoring, training local journalists and funding the ballot papers. In addition, as well as supporting the official EU monitoring observation mission, we also separately funded a small parliamentary observation visit to the region organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
	The Department for International Development provided long-term assistance to the PA for the design and implementation of its Public Administration and Civil Service Support Programme. This included work on strengthening Cabinet policy-making, reviewing the mandates and institutional structures of all PA agencies, and assisting with the Medium-Term Development Plan. Direct engagement with the PA has been suspended since the formation of the Hamas-led Government, although work is ongoing with a range of partner civil society organisations active in this field.
	On security, the EU expanded its police support mission, EU Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EU COPPS), in January 2006, to help transform the Palestinian police and make them more accountable to the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior. Through EU COPPS, the UK has helped to: support the PA in reforming its civil policing structures; improve the effectiveness, efficiency and image of 18,600 police officers; rebuild and modernise police facilities; purchase 54 police cars; provide training and equipment and co-ordinate better the international donor community's support for the Palestinian police.
	Since the Hamas-led PA came to power, there has been limited progress against both the International Community Commitments and the PA Commitments.

Palestinian Authority

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in implementing International Community Commitments agreed under the March 2005 London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority in the areas of  (a) economy,  (b) governance and  (c) security.

Margaret Beckett: Since 1 March 2005, the International Community has made some progress against their commitments made at the London Meeting. The UK has been involved in much of the work that the International Community has done to make progress against these commitments. I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer I gave him today (UIN 95350).
	In terms of economic development, in June 2005 G8 leaders supported the former Quartet Special Envoy James Wolfensohn's intention to stimulate a global financial contribution of up to US$3 billion per year over the coming three years. Also, on 15 November 2005, the EU High Representative Javier Solana, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and James Wolfensohn announced an Agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians on Movement and Access.
	On security, United States Security Co-ordinator General Ward and his successor, General Dayton, have been working closely with the Palestinians on Security Sector Reform (SSR). Since March 2005 progress has been made including developing capacity within the Ministry of Interior, establishing international co-ordination mechanisms for SSR and developing consensus around an SSR approach, and facilitating an upgrade of the Palestinian security forces' capability. Following the election of Hamas, the international community suspended previous security sector work. Since then General Dayton has been developing a range of plans, which the international community can implement in the current political circumstances, and which will deliver tangible improvements in the day-to-day lives of Palestinians. We have been working closely with General Dayton's team on these plans. Donors, including ourselves, are looking at funding options.
	With regards to governance, the EU, as well as other international partners, provided support to the Palestinian Legislative Council elections on 25 January.
	Since Hamas came to power, and failed to meet the three Quartet principles (renouncing violence; recognise Israel; and accept all previous agreements and obligations including the Roadmap), work on meeting the International Community Commitments has slowed. We, along with our international partners, want to see a Palestinian Government with whom we can engage and do business.

Rwanda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the UN requesting an urgent investigation into allegations by the former Rwandan ambassador to France regarding France's role in the Rwandan genocide.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 30 October 2006
	In 1999, the United Nations conducted a comprehensive investigation into the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and the actions taken at the time by the international community. The United Kingdom welcomed the Secretary-General's resulting recommendations. With respect to recent allegations by the former Rwandan ambassador to France, we understand investigations are under way in Rwanda.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made  (a) by her and  (b) on her behalf to the Government of Sudan regarding the Government military offensive in Darfur.

Margaret Beckett: In mid-August the Government of Sudan began a military offensive targeting rebel militias and non-signatories of the Darfur Peace Agreement. We made immediate representations to the Government of Sudan in Khartoum, and to senior Sudanese officials, to halt the offensive. I raised my concerns about the offensive with the Egyptian Government and the League of Arab States during a visit to Egypt on 7 September. They have subsequently engaged the Government of Sudan to raise these concerns.
	During the UN General Assembly ministerial week in New York from 18 to 22 September, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and I raised with African, Arab, Security Council and other Foreign Ministers the need for concerted action by the international community to halt the Sudanese military offensive, secure the deployment of a UN force, and to ensure a political solution in Darfur. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised the need for such action by the Government of Sudan with Sudanese Presidential Adviser Dr. Ghazi Salaheddin, when they met on 21 September. European Commission President Barroso also delivered this message during a call on President Bashir when he visited on 30 September. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development is planning a visit to Sudan later this month and we will continue to make such representations directly through our embassy in Khartoum.

Sudan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what areas have been identified for the enhancing of the capability and resources of the African Union Mission in Darfur; and what role is planned for the UK.

Margaret Beckett: The UK is a leading supporter of the African Union Mission in Darfur (AMIS). We were its first donor, and have to date provided 52 million of assistance. This has been used for budgetary support, vehicles and other equipment, and to airlift troops to and from Darfur. The African Union has now decided to increase the strength of AMIS by two battalions (approximately 1,200 men). We stand ready to assist them in this. Meanwhile, at our urging, the UN is helping to bolster AMIS prior to any transition to a UN force. The UN will provide much-needed planning and logistics capability with the deployment of 163 staff officers to assist the military and civilian police wings of AMIS as well as its senior management. The UN will provide a further 36 armoured personnel carriers and a range of other equipment to help improve AMIS effectiveness. We are looking at what personnel the United Kingdom can provide to the UN assistance package.

Turkey

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Turkish Government on the conflict in the Kurdish areas of eastern Turkey.

Margaret Beckett: My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe discussed terrorism during his visit to Turkey in September. The UK and EU both consider the PKK a terrorist organisation. The Government deplored the PKK's 2004 decision to resume their campaign of violence and terrorism, and the numerous deaths (including British) which followed right across Turkey.
	On 1 October the PKK announced another ceasefire, excluding defensive actions. Clashes with Turkish security forces have diminished but not halted.

Zimbabwe

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any funds have been made available to support access to sanitary products for the Zimbabwe women campaign.

Hilary Benn: I have been asked to reply.
	I applaud the work of the Zimbabwe Women campaign and wish them every success in their efforts and their fund-raising. DFID has not provided funds directly to this campaign. DFID's top priorities are to tackle HIV and AIDS, currently causing over 3,200 deaths per week; and assisting over a million people living in dire poverty. DFID recently contributed 20 million to a behaviour change programme which is already showing results in reducing HIV infection rates in Zimbabwe. DFID has also committed 25 million to assist the country's 1.3 million orphans and 20 million to enable an additional 20,000 Zimbabweans with AIDS to access anti-retroviral therapy, treatment for opportunistic infections and other services including home based care. Last year we contributed 10 million to the World Food Programme's work in Zimbabwe. DFID supports an ongoing Protracted Relief Programme, spending some 10 million per year, which is providing food, seeds, fertilisers and other forms of practical assistance to over one million of the country's poorest and most vulnerable people. This has included giving access to clean drinking water to over 600,000 people in the last year. DFID is currently developing a new initiative to reduce the high mortality rates for mothers and newborn children, through support for reproductive health services including maintaining poor people's access to affordable contraceptives. All of DFID's assistance is delivered through NGOs and UN agenciesnone of our funding is channelled through the Government of Zimbabwe.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders issued were breached in each of the last three years in each London borough.

Gerry Sutcliffe: ASBO breach data are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000 and are available at Criminal Justice System (CJS) area level only.
	More up to date data are being validated and we hope to publish shortly.

Asylum Seekers

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's estimate is of the number of failed asylum seekers who will be eligible for indefinite leave to remain as a result of the Rashid case.

Liam Byrne: The Court of Appeal judgment in the case of Rashid, and the subsequent High Court judgment in the test cases of A, H and AH were based on a combination of factors particular to individual cases decided before March 2003 where our then policy towards certain categories of Iraqi asylum seekers may not have been correctly applied. We do not believe that a similar combination of factors is likely to exist in a high proportion of Iraqi claims. An accurate estimate of the numbers affected can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. As of the week ending 13 October, around 300 Iraqi cases where the applicant has made representations that they are eligible for ILR on the basis of the Rashid judgment have been decided and of those we have granted ILR in seven cases.

Cannabis

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) adults and  (b) young offenders were (i) reprimanded for, (ii) received a final warning for and (iii) charged with possession of cannabis in each year between 2002 and 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Available information relates to the number of persons aged 18 and over in England and Wales cautioned, receiving formal warnings (since April 2004) or found guilty under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 of unlawfully possessing cannabis between 2002 and 2004. The number of reprimands and warnings, which replaced cautions for persons aged under 18 in selected areas of England and Wales on 30 September 1998, are also given for 2003 and 2004.
	
		
			  Number of persons (a) aged 18 and over (b) aged under 18 cautioned or found guilty of unlawfully possessing cannabis, England and Wales, 2002 to 2004 
			   2002  2003  2004 
			  (a) Persons aged 18 and over
			 Cautions 28,941 29,209 15,214 
			 Formal warnings (1) (1) 27,520 
			 Found guilty 31,234 33,995 18,850 
			 
			  (b) Persons aged under 18
			 Reprimands (2)8,869 6,220 4,769 
			 Warnings (2) 2,705 2,544 
			 Found guilty 4,997 5,367 4,111 
			 (1) Formal warnings data for cannabis possession have been available since April 2004. Those aged 18 and over who are caught in simple possession of cannabis can be eligible for a police formal warning which would not involve an arrest. Police issued 27,520 formal warnings between April and December 2004.  (2) Separate figures for reprimands and warnings not available for 2002.

Cargo

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to inspect commercial air cargo; whether any changes to those arrangements have been put in place since the events of 9 September 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not Government policy to comment in detail on the methods used to inspect air cargo or the means employed to counter terrorist attacks.
	The screening requirements for cargo shipments travelling by air are contained within the United Kingdom National Aviation Security Programme. The measures detailed within the programme are robust, and are kept under review to maintain their effectiveness.

Child Trafficking

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has undertaken best interests assessments of all trafficked children.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate seeks to safeguard the welfare of all children subject to immigration control in cooperation with the relevant authorities. The best interests of all children, including unaccompanied children who may have been trafficked, are taken into account as part of this process.

Child Trafficking

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department takes to ensure that  (a) deported trafficked children are supported upon their arrival in their original country and  (b) these children are not trafficked again.

Liam Byrne: It remains the Government's position that we would not seek to remove an unaccompanied asylum seeking child to his or her home country unless adequate and safe reception arrangements were in place. As part of the consideration of the suitability of return, the Home Office would undertake a case-by-case assessment of any risk of trafficking or re-trafficking that they might face post-return.

Correspondence

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight dated 15 June, 24 July and 19 September 2006 to the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate concerning Mrs. Taylor, a constituent of the hon. Member.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 October 2006
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) wrote to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 12 October 2006.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him of 11 September 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Thi Thao Nguyen.

Liam Byrne: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 30 October 2006.

Crime Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of crime there were  (a) in total,  (b) in each police authority area and  (c) in each local authority area in each of the last 25 years.

Tony McNulty: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is a national victimisation survey covering crime in England and Wales since 1981. Estimates of victimisation by police force area have been available through the BCS only since 2001-02. Figures are reported annually in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin 'Crime in England and Wales'.
	There is no figure for the overall numbers of victims as certain crimes are against households (such as burglary or some forms of vandalism) and thus affect an undefined number of people. This is true both of police recorded crime and BCS figures. The best indicator is therefore given by the number of incidents of crime in England and Wales estimated by the BCS which are shown in the attached table going back to 1981. The estimates of prevalence for each police force area from 2001-02 to 2005-06 can be found within the web pages devoted to each of the annual Crime in England and Wales statistical bulletins (incident estimates are not available by police force area). The figures cannot be broken down by local authority area.
	2005-06 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0506.html
	2004-05 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html
	2003-04 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0304.html
	2002-03 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0203.html
	2001-02 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew1.html
	The estimate of victimisation in England and Wales is now at the lowest level it has been since 1981, and has fallen by 44 per cent. since its peak in 1995. The number of crimes in England and Wales in 2005-06 is estimated as 10,912,000, 8.4 million fewer crimes than in 1995.
	
		
			  Trends in incidents of crime in England and Wales, 1981 to 2005-06 BCS 
			  Year( 1)  All BCS crime (thousand)  Unweighted base( 2) 
			 1981 11,041 10,905 
			 1983 11,913 11,030 
			 1987 13,387 10,392 
			 1991 15,142 10,059 
			 1993 18,483 14,520 
			 1995 19,351 16,337 
			 1997 16,712 14,937 
			 1999 15,015 19,398 
			 2001-02 12,618 32,787 
			 2002-03 12,341 36,450 
			 2003-04 11,725 37,891 
			 2004-05 10,850 45,069 
			 2005-06 10,912 47,729 
			 (1) In 2001-02 the BCS moved to a continuous format and estimates are reported for interviews conducted in each financial year based on crimes experienced in the 12 months prior to interview. (2) The BCS is a sample survey of adults resident in private households and the unweighted base gives the number of adults interviewed on which estimates are based.

DNA Profiles

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether DNA profiles retrieved during the course of an investigation where the crime remains unsolved are deleted as a matter of routine once the persons concerned are eliminated from police inquiries.

Joan Ryan: holding answer 9 October 2006
	DNA samples taken voluntarily for elimination purposes e.g. from persons such as the victim, witnesses, another person who had legitimate access to the crime scene or as part of an intelligence led screen must be destroyed as soon as they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were taken unless the person gives written consent to their DNA profile being loaded onto the National DNA Database.
	DNA profiles retrieved from a crime scene which cannot be identified as coming from a person not suspected of the crime are added to the National DNA Database.

EU Migrant Workers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workers from other EU states there were in the Lancashire region in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not generally monitor the regional distribution of workers from other EU member states.
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate publishes regional information on those workers who came to work in the UK from the eight Eastern European countries which acceded to the EU on 1 May 2004. Nationals of these eight countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) are required to register on the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) within one month of starting work in the United Kingdom.
	Information about the number of workers in the Lancashire region is not available in the report. However, the number of workers in the North West who have registered from 1 May 2004 to 30 June 2006 is published in table 7 of the Accession Monitoring Report, on the following link:
	www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report

EU Migrant Workers

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workers from other EU states there were in  (a) North East Cambridgeshire,  (b) Cambridgeshire and  (c) the Eastern region in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not generally monitor the regional distribution of workers from other member states.
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate publishes regional information on those workers who came to work in the UK from the eight Eastern European countries which acceded to the EU on 1 May 2004. Nationals of these eight countries (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia) are required to register on the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) within one month of starting work in the United Kingdom
	Information about the number of workers in the areas specifically requested is not available in the report. However, the number of workers in the Anglia, Midlands and Central regions who have registered from 1 May 2004 to 30 June 2006 is published in table 7 of the Accession Monitoring Report, on the following link:
	www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/accession_monitoring_report

EU Migrant Workers

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used by his Department in its formula to predict the estimated number of migrant workers to the UK from the 2004 EU accession countries.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 23 October 2006
	The Home Office did not make an official estimate of the numbers of migrants who would come to the UK following the European Union enlargement of 2004.
	We published independent research on our website in 2003, with its methodology. This can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr2503.pdf

EU Travel Bans

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1747W, on EU travel bans, what liaison takes place between the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and other of his Department's agencies in monitoring entry to the UK by individuals subject to EU travel bans.

Liam Byrne: An individual who is subject to an EU travel ban is not normally permitted to enter the UK. An exemption can be agreed in respect of a person whose presence in the UK is required, for example as a witness, to further the cause of peace or for humanitarian reasons. In such cases an assessment of the risks posed to the UK and public by the individual would be made in conjunction with law enforcement and security agencies. Depending on that assessment appropriate measures would be taken to monitor the individual while here.

EU Travel Bans

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005,  Official Report, column 1747W, on EU travel bans, what estimate he has made of the cost of collecting information on those who may have entered the UK in breach of an EU travel ban; what travel bans are in operation from other bodies; whether individuals in breach of an EU travel ban have been  (a) arrested and  (b) deported in the UK; who has entered the UK since 1997 under international immunity but in breach of an EU travel ban; whether individuals subject to an EU travel ban are permitted to transit via the UK; what Government policy is on action to be taken when an individual is located in the UK in breach of an EU travel ban; and what representations he has received on visits to the UK by people subject to EU travel bans.

Liam Byrne: A person subject to an EU travel ban is excluded from the UK and details of all those individuals included on a travel ban are entered on the Home Office watch list. That watch list is used by staff overseas and at UK ports to identify those people who should not be admitted to the UK. A person who entered the UK by deception and so in breach of a travel ban would be treated as an illegal entrant and be subject to removal. We have no record of any individual who is subject to a travel ban being identified in the UK and being either arrested or deported.
	The UK is only party to EU and UN travel bans and the enabling immigration legislation only allows the Secretary of State to designate EU or UN travel bans. Such designation has the effect of making individuals subject to such bans automatically excluded from the UK under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.
	There is no international immunity from the effects of an EU travel ban. I can also confirm that individuals subject to an EU travel ban are not permitted to transit the UK.
	The Home Office has not received any representations from people subject to EU travel bans. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received only one formal representation but does receive a number of informal, and not centrally recorded, representations from those who are subject to EU travel bans.

Extradition

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether persons extradited from the UK to the US may be tried only in US courts.

Joan Ryan: Yes; extradition for any purpose other than trial, sentencing or to serve a previously imposed sentence would not be lawful.
	In relevant cases, the courts in this country have been given assurances that the person sought will not be subject to the provisions of the President's Military Order No. 1.

Extradition

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the provisions of the extradition treaty between the UK and the US to be fully implemented by the United States of America.

Joan Ryan: Once the Extradition Schedule to the Police and Justice Bill becomes law, providing the Opposition amendments are removed, and the US President ratifies the Treaty, then the Treaty will come into effect immediately upon both Governments exchanging instruments of ratification.

Faith Groups

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from representatives of faith groups on the application of section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, as amended, by the  (a) police and  (b) Crown Prosecution Service.

Vernon Coaker: Decisions on the arrest and prosecution of an individual under section 5 of the Public Order Act are matters for the police and prosecution authorities. We have received representations from a number of individuals in respect of the police's action in one particular case.

Feltham YOI

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Ministers  (a) have reviewed and  (b) plan to review the report of the investigation into the recent attempted escape at HM Young Offenders Institute Feltham; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am aware of the findings of the investigation into the attempted escape at Feltham. I am also satisfied that appropriate action has been taken in response to the recommendations made in the investigation report.

Foreign Prisoners

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) policies,  (b) guidance,  (c) circulars and  (d) instructions on (i) the security categorisation and (ii) the allocation to open or closed prisons of foreign nationals (1) subject to immigration control and (2) liable to be deported issued since 1 March;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) policies,  (b) guidance,  (c) circulars and  (d) instructions on the release from prison of foreign nationals (i) on completion of their custodial sentence, (ii) on licence during the course of their custodial sentence and (iii) on release on temporary licence issued since 1st March.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All new or amended Prison Service policies, guidance, instructions and orders are distributed to outside agencies, including the House of Commons Library.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions the Immigration and Nationality Directorate did not meet its 20-day target response time in respect of inquiries from hon. Members in each of the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The published target is to answer 95 per cent. of Members' letters on Immigration and Nationality Directoraterelated matters within 20 working days. Although we still have some way to go to achieve that standard, performance has none the less already improved significantly from 34 per cent. in 2004 to 76 per cent. for the period September 2005 to August 2006, the latest period for which figures are available.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter of 28 June 2006, from the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green, regarding a constituent, Mrs Filiz Kart, (Home Office reference S1041072).

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the hon. Member on 24 July and on 25 October 2006.

Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of that Act.

Liam Byrne: The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 received Royal Assent on 31 March 2006.
	We are carrying out a phased commencement of the Act. Managing the sections which have still to be commenced are linked to the implementation of the new Points-Based Scheme and the e-Borders Programme.
	Representations on individual provisions of the Act are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Indian Workers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workers from India received permits to work in the UK in each sector of the work force in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: The number of work permits issued to workers of Indian nationality to work in the UK by industry sector for the period October 2005 to September 2006 is in the following table:
	
		
			  Sector  Number of work permits 
			 Administrative, Business and Management Services 2,785 
			 Agriculture Activities 44 
			 Computer Services 16,946 
			 Construction and Land Services 558 
			 Education and Cultural Activities 383 
			 Entertainments and Leisure Services 2,030 
			 Extraction Industries 103 
			 Financial Services 1,718 
			 Food Processing 26 
			 Government 18 
			 Health and Medical Services 2,245 
			 Hospitality and Catering 2,009 
			 Law Related Services 43 
			 Manufacturing 406 
			 Real Estate and Property Services 26 
			 Retail and Related Services 218 
			 Security and Protection Services 14 
			 Sporting Activities 235 
			 Telecommunications 802 
			 Transport 130 
			 Utilities: Gas, Electricity and Water Services 45 
			 Total 30,784 
		
	
	The number of work permits issued will not equal the number of workers of Indian nationality receiving work permits, who may have received more than one work permit during the period. The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Islam and Muslim Affairs

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements his Department has in place for offering him advice on Islam and matters relating to Muslims; and who his advisers are on Islam and Muslim affairs.

Liam Byrne: Where appropriate, officials in the Home Office provide advice on matters relating to Muslim communities. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the lead Department on domestic matters relating to Muslim communities and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead Department on international matters. Where appropriate, officials seek advice from these Departments.
	The Immigration and Nationality Directorate also has regular formal consultations with the Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration, (ABNI) Advisory Panel on Country Information (APCI) and National Refugee Integration Forum (NRIF) on a variety of issues including Islam and Muslim affairs.

John Walters

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what preparations have been made for the visit to the UK of US anti-drug czar John Walters.

Vernon Coaker: Mr. Walters has no current plans to visit the UK.

Marriage Visas

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of the communities of  (a) Bangladeshi origin,  (b) Pakistani origin and  (c) South Asian origin have married spouses from the Indian sub-continent who have come to the UK on marriage visas in each of the last 20 years.

Liam Byrne: The Department does not routinely collect statistical information by country of origin on the sponsors of applicants who are coming to the UK on a marriage visa, or who are applying in-country in that category.

Miscarriages of Justice

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for  (a) ex gratia payments of compensation from public funds for miscarriages of justice there have been since 1976 and  (b) payments under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 there have been since its inception; how many such cases were decided by the assessors in each year; what the date was of each assessment; how much compensation was awarded in each case; how each award was made up; how much in legal costs was awarded in each case, broken down by type of cost; what the reasons were for the award of costs in each case; what the administrative costs, including fees and other benefits payable to the assessor, were in respect of each case; and what length of time was taken in each case (i) from receipt of the application to the assessment of eligibility, (ii) from acceptance of eligibility to assessment of compensation and (iii) from assessment of compensation to the payment of compensation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The full information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, or by divulging details of individual awards. However, the following table gives information for the last five financial years regarding the number of applications for compensation in respect of miscarriages of justice, the number granted under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, the number granted under the discretionary scheme, and the total spent on compensation for miscarriages of justice. Until the abolition of the ex gratia scheme on 19 April this year, all applications were considered under both the statutory and ex gratia schemes.
	
		
			  Miscarriage of justice compensation applications and expenditure 
			   Number of applications  Number granted under s133( 1)  Number granted under ex gratia( 2)  Total spend ( million)( 3) 
			 2001-02 101 17 10 6.17 
			 2002-03 99 25 11 8.12 
			 2003-04 104 27 8 6.25 
			 2004-05 88 39 8 6.44 
			 2005-06 74 21 6 8.27 
			 (1 )Applications are not necessarily granted in the same year as the application is made, nor finalised in the same year that eligibility is approved. (2 )See footnote 1. (3 )This includes interim payments and payment of legal and other costs.

Miscarriages of Justice

Edward O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what reviews have been undertaken into the schemes relating to ex gratia payments from public funds or under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 of compensation for miscarriages of justice since 1997; when each such review was undertaken; and who undertook each one;
	(2)  what consultation has taken place on compensation and other redress for victims of miscarriages of justice, their relatives and campaigners since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The former Home Secretary, and any supporting Ministers, approved all cases for eligibility under the schemes. They are therefore well placed to keep the arrangements under continuous and careful review. The former Home Secretary announced some changes to the arrangements on 19 April 2006,  Official Report, columns 15-17WS. The further changes that are planned will require primary legislation and will therefore be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and debate.

Parliamentary Questions

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to question 25122, on Immigration and Nationality Directorate caseworkers, tabled by the hon. Member for Battersea for answer on 3 November 2005.

Liam Byrne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2125W.

Parliamentary Questions

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer questions  (a) 76868 and  (b) 80399, on Sakchai Makao, tabled by the hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 18 July 2006
	I replied to the hon. Member as follows:
	 (a) 7 August 2006,  Official Report, column 1933W, and
	 (b) 4 October 2006,  Official Report, column 508W.

Parliamentary Questions

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to question 73528, on the Tipping Point target, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashford for answer on 24 May 2006.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 18 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1317W.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer question 81775 tabled by the hon. Member for Forest of Dean on 27 June for answer on 3 July.

Liam Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 4 October 2006,  Official Report, column 508W.

Pensioner Benefits (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pensioners resident in Hendon have taken part in the discount passport scheme.

Joan Ryan: The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) does not ask passport holders to keep their address up to date on its database. IPS cannot therefore identify the number of current residents within the Hendon constituency (or any other constituency) that have taken advantage of the scheme to issue free passports to those applicants born on or before 2 September 1929.
	At the end of September 2006, 376,668 people born on or before 2 September 1929 and resident in the UK have received free passports from the IPS under the concessionary passport scheme.

Police

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how population growth is taken into account when calculating the Total Resource Allocation Formula for police forces.

Tony McNulty: The Police Funding Formula is used to make an assessment of the relative demands placed on each police authority in England and Wales. The population of each authority is a key driver within this formula With the introduction of multi-year settlements in 2006-07, projections of population are used to ensure that the formula is forward looking. The population projections are constructed using information supplied by the National Assembly for Wales and the Registrar General.
	Grant allocations made to police authorities also take into account each authority's ability to generate resources through the policing precept. To ensure stability, final general grant allocations in 2006-07 were adjusted to ensure that each authority received a minimum increase of 3.1 per cent.

Police

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made on negotiations over police pay.

Tony McNulty: The 2006 police officer pay award is now subject to arbitration.

Prisons

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Statement of 9th October, on prison capacity, what his assessment is of the reasons why  (a) France,  (b) Germany,  (c) Austria,  (d) Belgium,  (e) the Netherlands,  (f) Switzerland,  (g) Denmark,  (h) Finland,  (i) Iceland,  (j) Ireland,  (k) Norway,  (l) Sweden,  (m) Greece and  (n) Italy have lower prison populations than the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary said on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 42, valid international comparisons are difficult because of the variations in a range of factors, including how one measures offences detected and offences reported. Analysis published by the Council of Europe in the European Sourcebook of Crime and Criminal Justice Statistics: Key Findings 2000 concluded that the length of custodial sanctions was the most important factor in the size of the prison population.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a prison governor subject to an escape attempt may be responsible for the subsequent investigation into that incident; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Responsibility for the investigation of incidents, including attempted escapes, lies within the line management structure. Based upon an assessment of the nature, seriousness and particular circumstances of the incident the appropriate manager commissions the investigation and appoints a lead investigator. Normally the investigation will be carried out by a local team, unless the commissioning manager judges that a greater level of independence is needed.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what training has been provided to  (a) members of the Prison Service Management Board and  (b) Prison Service area managers on the requirements on the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what action he has taken to ensure that the interrogation of private cash accounts of inmates by the Prison Service is consistent with the requirements of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 9 October 2006
	Members of the Prison Service Management Board have not received specific training on the requirements of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, but last discussed the issue on 17 July 2006. Prison Service area managers have not received specific training either but the issue has been discussed at both operational directorate and operational policy group meetings on a number of occasions.
	Prisoners' private cash accounts are managed with the consent of prisoners. Any interrogation is overt and not undertaken under the legislative framework of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prisoners escaped or absconded from  (a) Category A,  (b) Category B,  (c) Category C and  (d) Category D prisons in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many prisoners absconded from  (a) category A,  (b) category B,  (c) category C and  (d) category D prisons in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table details escapes from prisons by category of prison and absconds that occurred during the last five financial years.
	Escapes only apply to closed establishments, absconds only apply to open, category D, prisons. Although a small number of absconds have been recorded from closed establishments category D prisoners have absconded when working outside the prison.
	
		
			  Escapes and absconds from prisons between 2001 to 2006 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Function  Escapes  Absconds  Escapes  Absconds  Escapes  Absconds  Escapes  Absconds  Escapes  Absconds 
			 Category B 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Category C 6 11 2 18 3 5 10 6 3 2 
			 Dispersal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Male Local 3 8 3 9 3 10 1 9 0 2 
			 Female Open 0 22 0 12 0 32 0 14 0 18 
			 Male Juvenile 0 2 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 
			 Male Closed YOI 1 4 0 3 4 3 0 0 0 0 
			 Semi Open 0 36 0 8 0 33 0 11 0 3 
			 Female Local 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Female Closed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Male Open 0 562 0 742 0 1,086 0 739 0 579 
			 Male Open YOI 0 135 0 152 0 130 0 90 0 105 
			 Total 15 781 5 947 10 1,301 12 870 3 709 
			 Data are based on the current set of establishment functions.

Prisons

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were transferred from category  (a) A and  (b) B prisons to category D prisons in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No prisoners held in category A conditions within establishments have been moved to category D conditions in the last five years.
	The total number of prisoners moved from category B to D conditions is not held centrally.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) foreign national prisoners and  (b) non-foreign national prisoners are held at Ford Prison; and how many in each category were held there in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The population of Her Majesty's Prison Ford on 18 October 2006 was 482. None of these are considered to be foreign nationals.
	Historical information on previous numbers of foreign national and non-foreign national prisoners is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The population at Her Majesty's Prison Ford on 18 October in previous years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 536 
			 2003 509 
			 2004 535 
			 2005 536

Prisons

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1349W, on prisons, when the contributions of the external agencies consulted during the development of PSO 6300 were received; whether any of those contributions commented on the maximum allowable time for release on temporary licence; and which prison establishments provided feedback during the development of PSO 6300.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The feedback received from the external agencies listed in my previous answer addressed a wide variety of issues concerning temporary release, including the extent to which temporary release was available under various circumstances. None of the responses referred to specific allowable time limits for temporary release.
	Operational managers and staff from a number of prisons provided feedback during course of the review period. Specific details are not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place in  (a) prisons and  (b) other custodial institutions to prevent self harm and suicide being committed by inmates; when he last reviewed such provisions; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 30 October 2006
	Prison Service Order 2700 (current version issued in November 2002) sets out the procedures for suicide prevention and self-harm management in the Prison Service in England and Wales. This is available on the internet at http://pso.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/PSO_2700_suicide_and_self_harm_prevention.doc. PSO 2700 is currently being revised to incorporate learning from the Safer Locals Programme (2001-05), learning from death in custody investigation reports, and recent safer custody initiatives, including the introduction of ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody  Teamworkthe new care-planning system for at-risk prisoners). The revised PSO is planned to be issued in 2007.
	Detention Services within immigration have traditionally adopted similar suicide/self-harm prevention strategies to the Prison Service, and are currently implementing a version of the ACCT system.
	Each facility within the secure psychiatric services estate has its own self-harm and suicide prevention policies, which are informed by guidance issued by the National Institute for Mental Health in 2003, Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for Mental Health Services.
	Youth Justice Board (YJB) contracts with Secure Children's Homes (SCHs) and Secure Training Centres (STCs) stipulate that risks of self-harm and suicide must be treated seriously and responded to. The YJB monitors Suicide and Self-Harm (SASH) plans and policies to ensure they are reviewed and updated. Custodial staff are expected to demonstrate an understanding of SASH policies and practices, that SASH review meetings are programmed and that risks of self-harm are considered during the initial assessment stage following admission and in every subsequent review and planning meeting. The Commission of Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI) carries out announced and unannounced inspections each year to monitor how SCHs and STCs are adhering to statutory regulations and national minimum standards issued by the Department of Health.
	Guidance relating to the risk of self-harm and suicide posed by individuals detained in police custody is contained in the Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons, which was published on 8 February 2006.

Probation Service

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation employees in each probation area have been on sick leave absence for  (a) more than a month,  (b) more than two months,  (c) more than six months and  (d) more than one year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: These data are not captured centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Probation Service

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many defendants in England and Wales are under the supervision of the Probation Service; and how many probation officers there are to provide such supervision.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 26 October 2006
	As at 31 December 2005 there were 224,094 people being supervised by the Probation Service in England and Wales.
	As at 31 December 2005, based on a full-time equivalent calculation of staff numbers, some 12,715 probation staff were involved in supervision, of whom 6,173 were probation officers.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists have been  (a) cautioned,  (b) charged and  (c) successfully prosecuted in each of the last five years for (i) being under the influence of illegal drugs, (ii) being above the legal alcoholic limit and (iii) using a mobile telephone while cycling.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of cautions, prosecutions, and convictions for the number of cyclists being under the influence of drugs and alcohol, in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004 can be found in the following tables. It is not possible to separately identify the number of cyclists cautioned, prosecuted, or convicted, while under the influence of either drink or drugs.
	A regulation prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving came into force on 1 December 2003. The regulation does not apply to cyclists, although the police have powers to deal with careless or dangerous cycling.
	The number of cyclists cautioned, proceeded against and convicted for cycling dangerously can be found in the following tables.
	It is not possible to identify cases where people have been charged, as this information is not held centrally by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. While the Home Office does collect data on those recorded crime offences which are dealt with by means of a charge or summons, the offences asked for in this PQ are summary and do not form part of the recorded crime series.
	
		
			  Number of persons cautioned, prosecuted at magistrates courts, or found guilty at all courts, for certain pedal cycling offences in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004( 1, 2) 
			Cautions 
			  Statute  Offence description  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 28 Dangerous riding by pedal cyclist 9 4 2 7 3 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 30 Pedal cyclist riding under the influence of drink or drugs 20 9 10 7 14 
			 Total  29 13 12 14 17 
		
	
	
		
			Prosecutions( 3) 
			  Statute  Offence description  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 28 Dangerous riding by pedal cyclist 29 30 27 21 37 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 30 Pedal cyclist riding under the influence of drink or drugs 70 46 44 55 45 
			 Total  99 76 71 76 82 
		
	
	
		
			Found guilty( 3) 
			  Statute  Offence description  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 28 Dangerous riding by pedal cyclist 23 19 18 18 32 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 section 30 Pedal cyclist riding under the influence of drink or drugs 58 38 38 43 40 
			 Total  81 57 56 61 72 
			 (1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists have been  (a) cautioned,  (b) charged and  (c) successfully prosecuted for using (i) noisy exhaust systems and (ii) loud stereo systems in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on drivers charged with motoring offences is not collected centrally.
	Available data on written warnings (including cautions) and prosecutions for noise offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regs. 54-58, 97-99 combined, from 2000 to 2004 (latest available), are provided in the following tables.
	2005 data will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Table A: Written warnings( 1)  for noise offences( 2) : England and Wales: 2000 to 2004 
			   Number of offences 
			 2000 158 
			 2001 148 
			 2002 153 
			 2003 99 
			 2004 71 
			 (1) Includes cautions for the offence. (2) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regs. 54-58 and 97-99. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Proceedings at magistrates courts and findings of guilt at all courts for noise offences( 1) : England and Wales, 2000 to 2004 
			  Number of offences 
			   Total proceedings  Total findings of guilt 
			 2000 4,616 3,334 
			 2001 3,688 2,636 
			 2002 3,221 2,272 
			 2003 2,653 1,807 
			 2004 2,048 1,479 
			 (1) Offences under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regs. 54-58 and 97-99.  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cyclists were  (a) cautioned and  (b) charged for (i) going through red lights and (ii) cycling in the dark without lights in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not possible to identify the number of cyclists cautioned for traffic light offences in England and Wales, as this offence is grouped with a range of other cycling offences and cannot be separated.
	The number of cyclists cautioned, or prosecuted, for cycling without lights can be found in the following table.
	It is not possible to identify cases where people have been charged, as this information is not held centrally by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Whilst the Home Office does collect data on those recorded crime offences which are dealt with by means of a charge or summons, the offences asked for in this PQ are summary and do not form part of the recorded crime series.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in November 2006.
	
		
			  Number of persons cautioned, or, prosecuted at magistrates courts for pedal cycle lighting offences( 1) , in England and Wales, 1997 to 2004( 2, 3) 
			   Cautions  Prosecutions( 4) 
			 1997 406 412 
			 1998 398 624 
			 1999 330 459 
			 2000 143 274 
			 2001 61 179 
			 2002 39 180 
			 2003 25 213 
			 2004 77 175 
			 (1) Includes the following statute and offence description: Road Traffic Act 1988 Sec 81(2). Road Vehicle Lighting Regs1989. Pedal cycle lighting and reflector offences (RVL Regs 1984). Offences in respect of pedal cycles. (2) These data are provided on the principal offence basis. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts, and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Staffordshire police force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Sex Offenders

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many warrants are outstanding for registered sex offenders who have breached the conditions of their release;
	(2)  how many warrants have been  (a) issued and  (b) served in the past 12 months for registered sex offenders who have breached the conditions of their release.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Individual police forces hold separate registers for those sex offenders required to register. Information in the requested format is not held centrally, and is not held elsewhere in a format which permits interrogation, to give consolidated national figures as requested.

Sex Offenders

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rapists have been released from jail on parole since 23 May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 19 October 2006
	Financial year figures on the release of prisoners on parole by various categories of offence including sexual offences are published in the Parole Board's Annual Report, which is published in the autumn. Figures for 2006-07 will be available in autumn 2007.

Sexual Assaults

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serious sexual assaults reported to the police have resulted in an arrest and successful prosecution in the last year for which records are available.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested on arrests for serious sexual assaults is not available centrally. Information on arrests is based on persons arrested for recorded crime notifiable offences by main offence group (i.e. sexual offences, theft and handling stolen goods, violence against the person and burglary etc.) and therefore does not identify individual offences or offence classes.
	Information from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants convicted of serious sexual assaults is shown in the following table. Figures for 2005 will be available in November 2006.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty of various serious sexual offences at all courts, in England and Wales 2004( 1, 2) 
			  Offence class  Defendants found guilty 
			 17 Sexual assault on a male 356 
			 19 Rape 751 
			 20 Sexual assault on a female 2,252 
			 21 Sexual offences (including with child under 13) 92 
			 22 Sexual offences (including with child under 16) 306 
			 Total 757 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative date systems generated by the police forces and courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Shoplifting

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested for shoplifting in England and Wales in each year since 1997; how many were charged; how many were cautioned; and how many received a sentence of  (a) up to six months,  (b) six to 12 months and  (c) more than 12 months, broken down by police authority area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested on arrests is not available centrally.
	Data held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people who were cautioned, prosecuted, received a sentence of  (a) up to six months,  (b) six to 12 months and  (c) more than 12 months, broken down by police force area in England and Wales, 1997 to 2004 will be placed in the Library.
	It is not possible to identify cases where people have been charged, as this information is not held centrally by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. While the Home Office does collect data on those recorded crime offences which are dealt with by means of a charge or summons, the offences asked for in this PQ are summary and do not form part of the recorded crime series.
	Court proceedings data for 2005 will be available in November 2006.

Tagging

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how quickly security firms charged with the electronic tagging of offenders are required to inform the National Offender Management Service when a tag is broken; and whether the contractors have met this target in the period since inception.

John Reid: The electronic monitoring service providers are required to inform the National Offender Management Service within 24 hours of a confirmed breach of a Home Detention Curfew tagging condition. This would include a deliberate tamper with a tag by an offender.
	Data provided by the two electronic monitoring suppliers indicates that they met this target in 96.4 per cent. of cases between 1 April 2005, when new electronic monitoring contracts came into force, and 30 September 2006. Data are not available for the period before 1 April 2005.

Unaccompanied Minors

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to carry out returns of unaccompanied minors to  (a) the Congo,  (b) Vietnam and  (c) Angola; what assessment has been made of the risk of such children becoming the victims of trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: We are developing a returns programme to a number of countries for unaccompanied children who have been refused asylum in the UK. This is to ensure that young people with no basis of stay here can be returned to their countries of origin in a safe, sustainable way. We have made clear that we would not return any young person unless we are confident that safe, adequate reception arrangements are in place, that their return is not in breach of our international obligations and that this is in the best interests of the young person concerned.

Work Permits

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his timetable is for a decision on whether to change the work permit settlement criteria from four to five years for  (a) those people who are already in the country and  (b) others; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The change to the settlement criteria, which brings us in line with other European countries, came into effect on 3 April 2006 and means that all those who wish to apply for settlement on the basis of their employment in the UK will now have to have been here and to have supported themselves for five years instead of four.

Young Offenders

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs were of detaining young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in young offender institutions in the last period for which figures are available; how many such people were detained in young offender institutions in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not held centrally.